Splendid Salads

• Warm weather calls for cool shrimp salads. Add five or six medium shrimp to a bag of prepared washed lettuce, top with Thousand Island dressing and lunch is ready. Crab Louie is transformed into shrimp Louie when you use shrimp instead of crab. Salad Nicoise, a salad of string beans, potatoes, egg wedges and tuna takes on a different flavor when you use shrimp instead of tuna. Spinach salad -- mushrooms, bacon, hard-boiled egg slices and fresh spinach in a tangy sweet dressing -- benefits from the addition of hot shrimp. The warm dressing and hot shrimp slightly wilt the spinach, creating additional flavor.

Stupendous Soups

• Shrimp cooks in minutes, so it works well for a soup lunch. Try a Thai-style soup with spicy peppers and noodles along with the shrimp. Add a few crunchy wontons and you've got a full meal. Shrimp bisque is a creamy, rich delight. It does take a bit longer to prepare because of the cream base. Sourdough bread mops up every bit of the bisque. A Mexican ceviche cold shrimp soup includes shrimp and other seafood in a spicy tomato base. A ceviche recipe "cooks" the shrimp and seafood in lemon or lime juice. However, it works just as well when you use cooked shrimp with raw cucumbers, cilantro, jalapeno peppers, chopped tomatoes and tomato juice. Serve with corn chips.

Sensational Sandwiches

• The Cajun po'boy comes to mind when you think shrimp sandwiches for lunch. Spread a soft bun with Cajun mayonnaise -- mayonnaise with a pinch of cayenne or chipotle pepper added. Pile on deep-fried shrimp, lettuce and tomatoes. The crunch of the shrimp contrasts with the soft bread. The heat of the Cajun mayonnaise is tempered by the lettuce and tomatoes. Another idea is to combine shrimp with mayonnaise, dill, lemon juice and zest and stuff it into a soft roll. Tiny shrimp are much less expensive, so feel free to use them because the shrimp aren't visible in the sandwich.

Wonderful Wraps

• Shrimp tacos are a Mexican beach favorite. Crisp battered shrimp are enfolded in a flour tortilla on a bed of shredded cabbage, seasoned with lime juice, jalapeno peppers and topped with a mild cheese. Shrimp burritos combine shrimp, rice, beans, salsa and cheese all wrapped up in a flour tortilla. Substitute tiny shrimp for the minced chicken in a Chinese chicken lettuce wrap. Think of a pizza as a deconstructed calzone. Instead of folding the dough over a filling of shrimp, garlic, mozzarella cheese and fresh tomatoes like a calzone, the dough is laid flat and topped with shrimp and your other favorite pizza ingredients.