Shrimp

Grilled & Chilled Shrimp Rolls

by:
October  4, 2022
5
5 Ratings
Grilled & Chilled Shrimp Rolls
Photo by Rocky Luten. Prop Stylist: Molly Fitzsimons. Food Stylist: Ericka Martins.
  • Prep time 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Cook time 4 minutes
  • Serves 6
Author Notes

Shellfish rolls are a quintessential staple of New England summers. There’s the ever-popular lobster roll, of course, but crab and shrimp rolls have their places, too. All three are delicious, but shrimp is the most affordable, accessible option—especially when cooking for a crowd. I always have a bag (or two) of shrimp in the freezer so that these rolls can be made on a whim.

Since summer cooking means spending as much time outside as possible, I opt for grilling shrimp over the usual poaching for shellfish rolls. The grill does double duty here, imparting a charred, smoky flavor to the shrimp, while simultaneously leaving you with little cleanup. The best part? Shrimp cooks in under 5 minutes. Pro tip: Make sure to use at least 16/20 size shrimp to ensure that they don’t fall through the grill grates—even bigger shrimp work, too. Cooked shrimp are roughly chopped and added to a simple mayo dressing studded with scallions and celery (for some crunch), plus a good amount of lemon zest and juice, which adds a burst of acidity.

While you can of course serve these right away, I found that chilling the shrimp mixture for at least an hour, up to 24, lets the flavors fully marry together and intensify. Since this is best made ahead of time, it’s an ideal option for entertaining, leaving you with little legwork the day of. Lobster roll, who?

Note: If you don’t have access to a grill, you can still make the shrimp rolls at home. Heat a large grill pan or cast iron over medium high heat. Add half of the shrimp in an even layer and cook until bright pink, about 1 to 2 minutes. Flip the shrimp over with tongs and continue cooking until bright pink and opaque, an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
—Alexis deBoschnek

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds 16/20 shrimp, tails removed, peeled, and deveined
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from about 1 large lemon)
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice (from about 1 large lemon)
  • 1 bunch scallions (about 5 to 8), light and white green parts, thinly sliced
  • 1 small celery stalk, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup celery leaves, roughly chopped
  • 6 New England–style top-split hot dog buns
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives, plus more for serving
  • Flaky sea salt, to serve
Directions
  1. Prepare a gas or charcoal grill for high heat. If using a charcoal grill, arrange the hot coals in an even layer. Let the grates heat for at least 5 minutes before grilling. If using a gas grill, set all burners to high heat.
  2. On a large rimmed baking sheet, pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Drizzle the olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper over the shrimp and toss until well coated.
  3. Before getting started, make sure to clean the grill grates. Place the shrimp on the grill and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the shrimp turn pink on one side. Use tongs to flip the shrimp over and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes, until the shrimp is fully pink and opaque. Transfer the grilled shrimp to a clean cutting board and let cool to the touch. Cut the shrimp into ½-inch pieces.
  4. In a medium bowl, add the mayonnaise, lemon zest and juice, scallions, celery stalk and leaves, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper, and stir to combine. Add the chopped shrimp and stir until well coated. Cover the bowl and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour, or up to 24.
  5. Spread ½ tablespoon of butter on each bun. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Open the buns up and toast them in the skillet until golden brown on both sides. Alternatively, place the buns on a grill over medium high heat until golden brown.
  6. Add roughly ½ cup of the shrimp mixture to each toasted bun. Sprinkle each bun with chives and flaky sea salt and serve immediately.
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Alexis deBoschnek
Alexis deBoschnek is a freelance recipe developer, cook, and video host based in the Catskills.

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5 Reviews

djhnyc
djhnyc August 10, 2022
We made these using Argentinian Red Shrimp. They’re the closest thing to lobster (without being lobster). Boiled just until just cooked thru with beer and lemon juice/zest, tossed into ice water bath and followed remainder of recipe accordingly. Absolutely delicious! A perfect summer dinner, and won’t break the bank like a lobster roll!
 
diyanair
diyanair January 26, 2022
so yummy!!
 
Sean B.
Sean B. July 23, 2021
What a fabulous coincidence. Around noon yesterday I was craving shrimp rolls (having never made one before) and ran over to purchase the various ingredients and fixins. Today, I check Food52, to find a newly published recipe, remarkably similar to the one I improvised yesterday. Clearly the cravings weren't just limited to me!

Highly recommend making these shrimp rolls for anyone who wants a refreshing (but still wonderfully buttery) meal on a hot summer day. For fun, I made a few with buttered and toasted Hawaiian rolls and few on lettuce wraps instead of hot-dog buns, and they were fantastic.

... Oh, and throw some chili crisp on the final product. Nontraditional, but you won't stop thinking about it.
 
Fran H.
Fran H. August 2, 2021
What is a "chili crisp"?
 
Sean B.
Sean B. August 4, 2021
Hi, Fran! I'm thrilled you asked.
Chili crisp is a (traditionally) Chinese condiment made with spicy chili oil and crispy add-ins -- often garlic, ginger, nuts, Sichuan peppercorn, among others. It's a fantastic condiment, even on not Chinese food.

Here's some more info if you'd like to try some!
"Lao Gan Ma" is the most famous brand, and can be found on Amazon or most Asian grocery chains (like an H Mart).
"Fly By Jing" is a newer brand with fantastic ingredient sourcing and I must say... it's truly delicious. All of Jing's products are worth a try.

If you end up liking it and want to make your own, I couldn't recommend Sohla's recipe highly enough. Unfortunately, this recipe isn't published on Food52, but is available at the following link:
https://www.seriouseats.com/homemade-spicy-chili-crisp

Hope you enjoy!!