Finely chop the celery, dice the red onion, mince the garlic cloves, and chop the fresh parsley. Slice the black olives and zest and juice the lemons, keeping the zest and juice separate. Having everything prepped and ready before mixing ensures the flavors meld properly and prevents any ingredients from oxidizing or becoming watery.

In a small bowl, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, dried oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes. This creates an emulsified dressing that will evenly coat all the salad components. I like to taste the dressing at this point and adjust the seasoning—a pinch more salt can really brighten the citrus notes.

In a large bowl, combine the cooked shrimp pieces, celery, olives, red onion, garlic, and parsley from Step 1. Pour the vinaigrette from Step 2 over the mixture and gently toss until everything is evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight—this allows the shrimp to absorb the bright citrus and herb flavors. I find that overnight chilling creates a more cohesive, flavorful dish where all the ingredients have time to get to know each other.