Seafood Chef Salad Recipe

Wash and thoroughly dry the romaine and iceberg lettuce. Chop the romaine into bite-sized pieces and shred the iceberg. Place both lettuces in a large salad bowl or divide among 4 serving plates.

Core and seed the tomatoes if desired and cut into wedges or 1/2-inch pieces. Thinly slice the red onion if using. Drain and slice the black olives. Add tomatoes, onions and olives to the bowl or set aside for plating.

If using frozen shrimp, thaw under cold running water or overnight in the refrigerator, then pat dry. If shrimp are large, cut into bite-size pieces. Flake or shred the imitation crabmeat into 1-inch pieces so it mixes evenly.

Gently toss the drained shrimp and crabmeat together in a small bowl. If you prefer the seafood chilled, keep it refrigerated until ready to assemble. If you use real crab meat, handle gently to preserve lumps.

In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise and sour cream (or Greek yogurt) until smooth.

Add lemon juice, dill pickle relish, dried dill, Worcestershire sauce, salt and black pepper. Whisk until combined and taste; adjust salt, pepper or lemon to your preference. Refrigerate dressing until assembly.

If serving family-style, toss the lettuce with 2–3 tablespoons of the dressing to lightly coat (add more dressing later to individual plates as desired). For plated presentation, keep lettuce plain and add dressing to each plate.

Divide the lettuce onto 4 plates (about 2 cups romaine + 1/2 cup iceberg per plate). Arrange the crabmeat blend and baby shrimp on top of the lettuce in the center or distributed evenly.

Scatter tomato wedges, sliced black olives and thin red onion over each salad. Add optional cucumber and hard-cooked egg pieces if using.

Sprinkle shredded mozzarella over each salad (about 1/4 cup per serving). Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

Serve with remaining dressing on the side, allowing guests to add additional dressing to taste.

Store leftover dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Keep any leftover seafood chilled and consume within 1–2 days. Do not store assembled salad with dressing for more than a few hours to avoid soggy lettuce.