• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipe Index
  • Puerto Rican
  • Cuban
  • About

Latina Mom Meals

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
  • Puerto Rican
  • Cuban
  • About
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipe Index
    • Puerto Rican
    • Cuban
    • About
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home

    Published: Jun 2, 2019 · Modified: Dec 16, 2019 by Neyssa

    Shrimp Potato Salad

    Sharing is caring!

    • Share
    • Tweet
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    With tangy splashes of olive oil and vinegar that soak into the potatoes, this shrimp potato salad is a potato salad without mayo that the whole family will enjoy!

    I remember eating a serving of this healthy potato salad almost a decade ago. Every year I've been working on recreating it, and I finally feel confident enough to share it with you! Instead of using mayonnaise like in our classic Puerto Rican potato salad, this shrimp potato salad uses a simple lime vinaigrette to dress the potatoes, similar to our chayote tuna salad!

    Shrimp potato salad in blue bowl

    How do you make potato salad?

    If this is your first time making potato salad, here's a secret -this olive oil potato salad is relatively easy to make! Just a little time consuming with the prep work, but completely worth it!

    Steps to making a healthy potato salad:

    Here's a simple breakdown, we'll get into depth below.

    • Peel, chop, and boil your potatoes.
    • Hard boil your eggs.
    • While potatoes and eggs are boiling, chop your remaining ingredients, set it to the side.
    • Make your vinaigrette for your olive oil potato salad. 
    • Drain potatoes.
    • Peel your eggs. 
    • In a large bowl, add all of your ingredients together -gently!
    • Refrigerate at least an hour.
    • Serve.

    What kind of shrimp should I use for potato salad?

    For shrimp potato salad, you can use any kind of shrimp, as long as it's peeled, deveined, and cooked. I must say, it's easier to buy precooked shrimp that you just have to rinse through cold water. Don't worry if it's still somewhat frozen. While it's marinating in the fridge, the shrimp turn out perfectly tender!

    For this healthy potato salad recipe, we're using about 1 ½ cups worth of colossal sized shrimp. To be honest, we've kept it whole and with the tail on more for photography purposes. It sure is pretty, but if you don't want to deal with removing the tails at the dinner table, I highly suggest roughly chopping the shrimp before hand (tails removed, too). The easiest route would be to actually use about 1-2 cups of cocktail shrimp, it's tiny and no chopping involved. But I am a huge shrimp lover, and the bigger the better in my opinion.

    shrimp and potatoes in bowl

    How long do you boil potatoes for potato salad?

    First, choose the right potato. The smaller the better, usually. We've used red potatoes for our Puerto Rican potato salad. You can use small white or yellow potatoes too! Also, we'll be simmering the potatoes, not boiling it. 

    To peel or not to peel, that is the question. It's up to you! The skin on potatoes hold a lot of nutrients, but they also hold pesticides. Either way, wash the skin before peeling or keeping it on. Also, you can peel before simmering your potatoes or after the potatoes have cooked. Many people find potatoes are easier to peel after they have been cooked. I'm a creature of habit and peel potatoes before cooking.

    Tips for boiling potatoes for potato salad:

    • Use small potatoes.
    • Add your potatoes to a cold pot of salted water. Be generous with the salt!
    • Cook your potatoes whole. They stay firmer in your salad when cooked whole.
    • Bring your water to a strong simmer, but not a boil. 
    • Add a clove or two of whole garlic to your water for more flavor. (optional)
    • Cook potatoes until a fork easily reaches the center. BUT you want to stop cooking it before it reaches the center and crumbles the rest of the potatoes. 
    • As soon as the potatoes are cooked through, put them into an ice bath for 2-3 minutes, to stop the cooking process. 

    Once your potatoes have cooled enough to handle, remove them from the bath water, let them sit on a clean and dry hand towel so the excess water can be absorbed. Next, you'll gently peel (if you haven't) your potatoes, and then chop the potatoes into larger bite sized chunks, before adding them into a large bowl.

    shrimp potatoes and mojo in glass bowl

    How to make the vinaigrette for the olive oil potato salad:

    This potato salad without mayo recipe is made with a Latin style vinaigrette. The ingredients used for the sauce of our olive oil potato salad are:

    • olive oil
    • white vinegar
    • salt, to taste
    • black pepper, to taste
    • fresh lime juice, to taste
    • freshly chopped cilantro

    Easy can't begin to describe this vinaigrette for our olive oil potato salad recipe. All you have to do is add the ingredients into a small bowl, mix it together and taste for seasonings. There's a meme floating around that says Latino's do not measure, they go by the spirit of their ancestors that speak from within. I am sure this goes for all nationalities, it's your intuition that awakens when you're passionate about cooking. Remember, taste as you go. Everyone has a differently preference, some may want an extra splash of lime juice, or more olive oil etc. You're the master of your dish!

    shrimp potato salad with eggs in bowl

    Next, add in your remaining ingredients, toss them together gently, and refrigerate for a minimum of an hour so the flavors can infuse together. This Puerto Rican potato salad reminds me of a hearty ceviche with it's light and tangy sauce. You won't miss the mayonnaise in this potato salad without mayo recipe! 

    shrimp potato salad in a blue bowl

    What pairs well with healthy potato salad?

    Traditionally, a typical Puerto Rican dinner that has potato salad with it usually goes with some kind of Spanish rice, a side of protein, avocado, and a tossed salad or vegetable. Here are some awesome Puerto Rican side recipe ideas to pair with this potato salad without mayo:

    Baked Puerto Rican Chicken

    Grilled BBQ Pinchos (kebabs)

    Vienna Coconut Rice

    Corned Beef with White Rice

    Fried Pork Chops

    Arroz con Salchichas (rice w/ sausages)

    Recipe

    Shrimp potato salad in blue bowl

    Shrimp Potato Salad

    This healthy potato salad without mayo is the perfect side dish for your next cookout!
    3.87 from 15 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: Puerto Rican
    Keyword: potato salad
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Resting: 1 hour hour
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories:
    Author: Neyssa

    Ingredients

    • 10 oz of shrimp colossal and peeled and deveined
    • 6 small red potatoes peeled and whole
    • 3 eggs hard boiled and chopped
    • 1 tablespoon of chopped red onions
    • 2 radishes thinly sliced, and chopped
    • 2 green onions chopped

    vinaigrette

    • 5 tablespoons of olive oil
    • 4 tablespoons of white vinegar
    • salt to taste
    • black pepper to taste
    • ½ - 1 lime juiced
    • 2 tablespoons of cilantro finely chopped
    Get Recipe Ingredients

    Instructions

    • Place potatoes in a large pot, add water to cover by two inches and salt generously.
    • Bring water to a strong simmer, but not a boil.
    • Cook potatoes 9-15 minutes, until a fork goes through the center.
    • Remove potatoes from water, and place into an ice bath for 2-3 minutes, until cooled.
    • Drain potatoes on a dry hand towel.
    • Chop potatoes into large bite sized chunks.
    • Mix vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl, taste for seasoning, adjust as you add in ingredients.
    • Toss shrimp and remaining ingredients gently over potatoes, and drizzle vinaigrette over it all. Gently toss to coat evenly.
    • Refrigerate for an hour before serving.

    Notes

    You can double the vinaigrette recipe if you love a really wet potato salad.
    Add two cloves of garlic to the simmering potatoes, for a nice garlic infusion to the potatoes.

    More Puerto Rican Recipes

    • Close up shot of coquito in a glass cup with cinnamon on the rim and a Puerto Rican flag.
      Classic Coquito with Tea
    • Tea for coquito is inside of a glass cup with a gray and blue background, spices, and Puerto Rican flags.
      Spiced Tea for Coquito
    • Close up shot of freshly made loose yellow rice and green pigeon peas in a silver pot.
      Arroz con gandules
    • A close up shot of crema de maiz inside of a bowl with a spoon, topped with fresh berries.
      Harina De Maiz: Cornmeal Porridge

    About Neyssa

    Neyssa is a Latina food blogger who shares her Cuban and Puerto Rican family recipes for home cooks to make.

    Reader Interactions

    3.87 from 15 votes (15 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Neyssa is a Puerto Rican and Cuban self-taught home cook who lives right outside of Philly and is on a mission to share recipes that are inspired by her Cuban and Puerto Rican heritage.

    More about Neyssa →

    Latest Recipes

    • Cuban malanga fritters in a dip on a wire rack
      Malanga Fritters
    • A cup of Puerto Rican horchata is in a glass cup with a cinnamon stick and a sliver of twirling lemon rind for garnish.
      Horchata de Ajonjoli
    • A group of frozen limbers are on a wooden platter with cinnamon sticks on the tray.
      Limber de Leche
    • A bowl of noodle soup, known as sopa de fideo is filled with veggies, chicken, and noodles in a rich broth.
      Sopa de Fideo: Noodle Soup

    Winter Favorites

    • pernil | roasted pork shoulder
      Cuban Pernil
    • rice and shrimp stew in a blue plate
      Asopao de Camarones | Shrimp Stew
    • Instant Pot Puerto Rican Sancocho Recipe
      Sancocho
    • Homemade Puerto Rican Salami Soup | Sopa de Salchichon estilo Boricua
      Puerto Rican Salami Soup

    Footer

    Copyright © 2025 Latina Mom Meals All Rights Reserved

    PRIVACY POLICY + TERMS OF USE | ABOUT & CONTACT

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.