Seafood Salad — The Dish I Made While My Brain Was Still at School

Mid-April and the school pressure was building the way humidity builds before a storm — slowly and then all at once. LEAP testing was two weeks out. Every teacher had shifted into a kind of focused intensity that was part encouragement and part barely disguised anxiety. I fed off it in the way I always do: I made lists, color-coded my notes, and reorganized my binder three times in one afternoon. Some people find that excessive. I find it calming.

I had a meeting Tuesday with Ms. Fontenot, my eighth-grade counselor, about high school placement. I already knew I was going to Scotlandville Magnet — I'd been preparing for it mentally since sixth grade — but she wanted to talk through what to expect. Honors English, Honors Biology, Algebra II as a freshman. She said the magnet program moves fast and students sometimes underestimate the adjustment. I nodded like I was absorbing a warning. Inside I was already imagining my schedule, my locker, my routine.

Ms. Fontenot also mentioned the LSU Junior Academy of Science, a summer bridge program for rising ninth graders with strong science records. She said my application — which Mrs. Tureaud had encouraged me to submit back in February — had moved to the final review stage. I tried to keep my face neutral but I think my eyebrows gave me away. She laughed and said she'd let me know as soon as she heard more.

I came home and made dinner almost on autopilot, the planning part of my brain still humming. I did a simple shrimp étouffée — using MawMaw Shirley's base of butter, onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic, with Cajun seasoning and shrimp from the freezer. Served it over white rice with French bread from the store. Mama said it tasted like Saturday. That's the best compliment she knows how to give food.

Later I studied for two hours, called Destiny to compare notes, and fell asleep with my binder open beside me. I dreamed about a white lab coat with my name embroidered on the pocket. I woke up and wrote it down so I wouldn't forget the feeling of wanting something that clearly.

That night the étouffée came together almost without me thinking about it, which made me realize I wanted to write down something I actually had to pay attention to — a recipe I could come back to when I needed to feel capable and grounded instead of just running on momentum. This seafood salad is that kind of recipe for me: it’s fresh, it’s deliberate, and it rewards you for slowing down long enough to taste what you’re making. MawMaw Shirley always said the best cooks know when to go simple, and after a week like this one, simple felt exactly right.

Seafood Salad

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 25 min (plus 1 hour chilling) | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cooked
• 1/2 lb imitation crab meat (or lump crab), roughly chopped
• 3 stalks celery, finely diced
• 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• Butter lettuce or crackers, for serving

Instructions

1. Cook the shrimp. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add shrimp and cook 2—3 minutes until pink and curled. Drain and transfer to an ice bath to stop cooking. Pat dry and cut into bite-sized pieces.
2. Combine the seafood. In a large bowl, add the cooked shrimp and chopped crab meat. Stir gently to combine.
3. Add the vegetables. Fold in the diced celery and red onion.
4. Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until smooth.
5. Dress the salad. Pour the dressing over the seafood mixture and fold gently until everything is evenly coated. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
6. Chill. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to come together.
7. Serve. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve over butter lettuce leaves or alongside crackers.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 280 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 8g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 620mg