15-Min Seafood Salad Recipe

Seafood Salad is my go-to quick dish—refreshing, vibrant, and full of texture. It’s loaded with bouncy shrimp, snappy squid, crunchy Chinese celery, and juicy tomatoes, all tossed in a bright, tangy dressing. Best of all, it comes together in just 15 minutes!

Seafood Salad Recipe

Serves: 2 to 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes

For the seafood salad:
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ pound squid, cleaned
¼ pound ground pork (optional)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
½ small onion, thinly sliced
3 stalks Chinese celery, chopped
4 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

For the dressing:
3 tablespoons fish sauce
Juice of 2 large limes
1 tablespoon palm sugar
1 medium finger hot pepper (or bird’s eye chili), minced
2 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions

1. Make the dressing:

• In a bowl, whisk together the fish sauce, lime juice, and palm sugar until the sugar dissolves.
• Add the minced chili and garlic. Stir to combine. Set aside.

2. Cook the seafood and meat:

• In a pot over high heat, bring water to a boil. Add the squid and shrimp, and cook for about 1 minute until just cooked through. Drain and set aside.
• In the same pot, add the ground pork and 1 tablespoon fish sauce. Boil over high heat for about 3 minutes, or until fully cooked. Drain and set aside.

3. Assemble the salad:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the onion, grape tomatoes, cooked shrimp, squid, and pork.
• Pour the dressing over and toss until everything is evenly coated.
• Add the chopped Chinese celery and cilantro. Toss again until well mixed.
• Transfer to a serving plate and enjoy immediately.

Tips & notes

• Adjust spice: Use more or fewer chilies depending on your spice preference.
• Pork is optional: It adds extra richness, but you can swap it for chicken or leave it out for a lighter seafood salad.