The BEST Creamy Seafood Pasta Salad
This Creamy Seafood Pasta Salad is an easy, crowd-pleasing dish perfect for summer potlucks, picnics, or a quick weeknight meal. It's fast to assemble, packed with delicious flavors, and just screams good times.
Equipment
- Pot for cooking pasta
- Colander for draining pasta
- Large mixing bowl
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 8 ounces pasta such as rotini or penne
- 1 cup cooked shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 cup crab meat lump or quality, well-drained
- 0.5 cup chopped celery
- 0.5 cup cherry tomatoes halved (grape tomatoes work too)
- 0.25 cup diced red onion can soak in ice water to mellow
- 0.5 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- Lemon wedges optional, for serving
Notes
Tips for Success:
- Don't Overcook the Pasta: Cook it just to al dente according to the package. Mushy pasta is a no-go.
- Rinse Your Pasta (Sometimes!): For a cold pasta salad, rinsing the cooked pasta under cold water stops the cooking process and removes excess starch, preventing it from clumping. Make sure it's well-drained.
- Chill Time is Key: The salad needs at least 30-60 minutes in the fridge for all those lovely flavors to meld together. An hour or two is even better.
- Taste and Adjust: Before serving, give it a taste! Does it need more salt? Pepper? A little extra squeeze of lemon juice? Don't be afraid to adjust. How to Store It:
Store any leftover seafood pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Because it's a mayo-based salad with seafood, it's important to keep it chilled. It will typically last for 2-3 days in the fridge. Give it a gentle stir before serving leftovers, as the dressing can sometimes settle a bit. Make Ahead:
Absolutely! It's actually better made ahead of time so the flavors can really meld. Make it a few hours before you plan to serve it, or even the day before. If the pasta seems to have soaked up too much dressing, you can stir in a tablespoon or two more mayo or a splash of milk or lemon juice before serving. Note: The detailed step-by-step instructions for this specific recipe were not provided in the source article, only a general overview of the process.
- Don't Overcook the Pasta: Cook it just to al dente according to the package. Mushy pasta is a no-go.
- Rinse Your Pasta (Sometimes!): For a cold pasta salad, rinsing the cooked pasta under cold water stops the cooking process and removes excess starch, preventing it from clumping. Make sure it's well-drained.
- Chill Time is Key: The salad needs at least 30-60 minutes in the fridge for all those lovely flavors to meld together. An hour or two is even better.
- Taste and Adjust: Before serving, give it a taste! Does it need more salt? Pepper? A little extra squeeze of lemon juice? Don't be afraid to adjust. How to Store It:
Store any leftover seafood pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Because it's a mayo-based salad with seafood, it's important to keep it chilled. It will typically last for 2-3 days in the fridge. Give it a gentle stir before serving leftovers, as the dressing can sometimes settle a bit. Make Ahead:
Absolutely! It's actually better made ahead of time so the flavors can really meld. Make it a few hours before you plan to serve it, or even the day before. If the pasta seems to have soaked up too much dressing, you can stir in a tablespoon or two more mayo or a splash of milk or lemon juice before serving. Note: The detailed step-by-step instructions for this specific recipe were not provided in the source article, only a general overview of the process.