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    Recipes » Salad Recipes

    Seafood Pasta Salad

    Published: Sep 15, 2020 by Marissa Stevens · 24 Comments

    Pescatarian

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe
    seafood pasta salad served in a yellow ceramic bowl

    A lavish blend of lump crab and shrimp tossed with tender pasta, crunchy celery, briny capers, fresh dill and a creamy, tangy salad dressing, Seafood Pasta Salad may just be the perfect summer dish. Easy enough to enjoy on a weeknight or take to a picnic, but worthy of a dinner party or date night.

    seafood pasta salad served in a yellow ceramic bowl

    Made in about 20 minutes, this seafood salad recipe is ideal for dressing up short pastas, like small or medium shell pasta, bow tie pasta (farfalle), or elbow macaroni. Serve as a summer side dish alongside anything your grilling, or as the main attraction for a satisfying lunch or dinner.

    Ingredients You Need to Make this Seafood Pasta Salad Recipe

    Seafood Pasta Salad ingredients on a white marble board
    Seafood Pasta Salad ingredients
    • Shrimp: I recommend using medium shrimp or large shrimp cut in half crosswise.
    • Crab: Real lump crab meat makes this salad special. I don't recommend imitation crabmeat - see my Crab Salad post to learn more about it.
    • Pasta: Any short pasta will do, but I'm partial to shell pasta for this salad
    • Lemons: One for seasoning the shrimp cooking water and ½ of another for the dressing. You may also want wedges for serving.
    • Kosher Salt: For seasoning the shrimp cooking water.
    • Mayonnaise: Use your favorite brand or make your homemade Avocado Oil Mayonnaise in just a few minutes with an immersion blender.
    • Dijon Mustard: A smooth, strong version is best.
    • Capers: Small, non-pareil capers are ideal.
    • Dill: It's worth it to use fresh dill (not dried) for this salad. Use leftover sprigs for garnish.
    • Shallot: Look for a firm shallot with tight, shiny skin.
    • Celery: Look for firm, bright green celery ribs.
    • Freshly Ground Black Pepper
    seafood pasta salad served in a yellow ceramic bowl photgraphed from above

    Recipe Options

    • For extra seasoning in the shrimp cooking water, use 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning (find in the spice section of your local grocery store) instead of kosher salt.
    • Add finely chopped green onions instead of or in addition to shallots to add gentle heat and oniony flavor. And/or add finely chopped red bell pepper for added sweetness and crunch.
    • Cooking the shrimp until just pink in well seasoned water is key to enhancing the shrimp's flavor and texture in this salad. For convenience, you can buy pre-cooked shrimp, but it's worth the effort to cook it fresh if you have time.
    • Feel free to adjust the amount of mayonnaise to your taste or switch things up by replacing all or part of it with whole milk plain yogurt or sour cream.

    More Delicious Pasta and Seafood Salads

    • Crab Salad (The ultimate seafood salad made with real lump crab!)
    • Shrimp Salad (A shrimp lovers salad with tender, flavorful shrimp tossed in a creamy dressing.)
    • Italian Pasta Salad (Another of my favorite pasta salads, loaded with all of the Italian Salad ingredients you love.)

    How to Make Seafood Pasta Salad

    Step 1: Cook pasta until al dente; drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

    cooking draining and rinsing seashell pasta

    Step 2: Bring 2 quarts water, lemon wedges and kosher salt to boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cover; remove from heat and let stand 3 minutes, or until just cooked through. Transfer with slotted spoon to ice bath. When cool, transfer shrimp to colander and pat dry with paper towel.

    cooking cooling and patting dry shrimp

    Step 3: In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients: mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, capers, dill, shallot, and fresh lemon juice from ½ lemon.

    whisking dressing ingredients together for seafood pasta salad

    Step 4: Add pasta, shrimp, lump crab, and celery to large salad bowl. Spoon dressing over and gently toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

    stirring seafood pasta salad ingredients
    seafood pasta salad served in a yellow ceramic bowl

    Seafood Pasta Salad

    Marissa Stevens
    A delicious and satisfying main course pasta salad loaded with succulent shrimp and crab tossed in a creamy dressing.
    5 from 9 votes
    Save Recipe Saved! Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Salad
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8 people
    Calories 422 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 16 ounces medium shell pasta or other short pasta
    • 1 ½ lemons divided
    • 1 pound medium shrimp peeled and deveined
    • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
    • ⅔ cup mayonnaise or ⅓ cup mayonnaise and ⅓ cup plain yogurt or sour cream
    • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
    • 1 tablespoon capers coarsely chopped
    • ¼ cup finely chopped fresh dill plus more for garnish, optional
    • 1 medium shallot minced
    • freshly ground black pepper to taste
    • 8 ounces lump crab meat (recipe note #2)
    • 3 ribs celery diced small

    Instructions
     

    • Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; rinse with cold water and drain, shaking to remove as much water as possible. Set aside.
    • Meanwhile, cut one lemon into wedges. (Reserve remaining half lemon for dressing.)
    • Prepare ice bath for shrimp.
    • Bring 2 quarts water, lemon wedges and kosher salt to boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cover; remove from heat and let stand 3 minutes, until just cooked through. Transfer with slotted spoon to ice bath.
    • When shrimp are cool, lift out of ice bath with slotted spoon. Pat dry and add to large bowl.
    • To a separate bowl add mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, capers, dill, and shallot. Squeeze remaining lemon half over (about 1 tablespoon of fresh juice). Whisk until well combined. Season to taste with pepper.
    • Add pasta, lump crab, and celery to shrimp in salad bowl. Spoon mayonnaise mixture over and gently toss to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with fresh dill if desired before serving.

    Notes

    1. Note that you'll need 1 ½ lemons for this recipe - one for the shrimp boiling water and another ½ for the dressing. 
    2. If you want to skip the crab, add an additional ½ pound of shrimp to the salad.
    3. You can make and refrigerate this salad several hours ahead of serving.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 422kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 25gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 111mgSodium: 1361mgPotassium: 429mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 207IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 80mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword 4th of July, brunch, Christmas, creamy, decadent, dinner party, father's day, Independence Day, Memorial Day, New Year's Eve, potluck
    Tried this recipe?I'd love to see it! Tag me on Instagram at @pinchandswirl or leave me a comment and rating below.

    More Salad Recipes

    • Pulled Pork Salad
    • Caesar Salad
    • Classic Wedge Salad
    • Crab Salad

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Gloria says

      May 03, 2022 at 11:05 am

      5 stars
      This recipe is delicious! I couldn’t find any fresh dill so I had to opt for fresh parsley. Other than that I followed the recipe to a T. Thank you for sharing ❤️

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        May 03, 2022 at 1:53 pm

        My pleasure, Gloria! So glad you enjoyed this!

        Reply
    2. mimi rippee says

      September 22, 2020 at 2:03 pm

      love love love this. Seriously. And I now know where I can find fairly fresh crab meat, so I'm excited!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        September 23, 2020 at 4:29 pm

        I hope you'll love it, Mimi!

        Reply
    3. Valentina says

      September 20, 2020 at 2:55 pm

      5 stars
      Marissa, this looks wonderful. Hearty and packed with flavor, but somehow it's still light. Picnic or dinner party, I'm in. Just pinned to my Shellfish board for safe keeping. 😉 ~Valentina

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        September 23, 2020 at 4:30 pm

        aww thank you so much, Valentina!

        Reply
    4. Alex says

      September 19, 2020 at 9:11 pm

      5 stars
      As the weather starts to warm up here in Australia, this is exactly the kind of food I crave. What a delicious pasta salad! The flavours are superb.

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        September 20, 2020 at 11:16 am

        Thank you, Alex! I hope you'll love it.

        Reply
    5. Katherine | Love In My Oven says

      September 18, 2020 at 1:08 pm

      5 stars
      The fresh dill is the perfect compliment to this salad! It's pasta salad, elevated. Looks delicious my friend!!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        September 18, 2020 at 1:24 pm

        Love fresh dill with seafood! Thanks so much, Katherine!

        Reply
    6. Ben | Havocinthekitchen says

      September 17, 2020 at 4:38 pm

      I love both pasta and seafood, in all possible ways, and a seafood pasta salads sounds like a great option! I often use seafood in my pasta salads, but I've never added crab meat. This definitely elevates pasta salad to a totally new level; so cozy yet elegant. Delicious!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        September 18, 2020 at 11:39 am

        Thanks so much, Ben! I think you'd love this one.

        Reply
    7. Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says

      September 17, 2020 at 12:51 pm

      5 stars
      I have eaten my weight in seafood salads this summer; however, none of them looked as delicious as this pasta one!!!! Obviously this recipe is getting made PRONTO!!! I can't wait- it looks just perfect!! Pinned!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        September 18, 2020 at 11:39 am

        I love to hear that, Cheyanne! Thank you!

        Reply
    8. Dawn - Girl Heart Food says

      September 17, 2020 at 9:00 am

      5 stars
      This is the kinda dish I love! I'm pretty sure I could have for dinner (or lunch) every single day and never tire of it. Looks creamy, hearty and simply scrumptious, my friend 🙂 Happy weekend ahead!!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        September 18, 2020 at 11:39 am

        Thank you, Dawn! Happy Weekend!

        Reply
    9. annie@ciaochowbambina says

      September 17, 2020 at 6:42 am

      5 stars
      Oh, my hubby will love this! So appealing on every front!! 🙂

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        September 18, 2020 at 11:39 am

        Wonderful! Thanks, Annie!

        Reply
    10. David @ Spiced says

      September 16, 2020 at 4:28 am

      5 stars
      Now this is a fun pasta salad! I love finding new twists on pasta salad, and I have to admit that I've never had a seafood pasta salad. The shrimp + crab combination here? Yup, this needs to happen...and soon!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        September 18, 2020 at 11:40 am

        I'm excited for you to try this, David! It's such a great pasta salad for seafood lovers.

        Reply
    11. Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says

      September 15, 2020 at 9:30 am

      5 stars
      This pasta salad has my name written all over it Marissa. I'm always up for anything seafood. Can't wait to give your recipe a try!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        September 18, 2020 at 11:40 am

        Yay! Thank you, Mary Ann!

        Reply
    12. angiesrecipes says

      September 15, 2020 at 7:03 am

      That creamy, tangy sauce sounds really wonderful, esp. paired with those succulent jumbo prawns and delicate crab meat...this makes a fabulous weeknight meal that everyone will enjoy tremendously!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        September 18, 2020 at 11:41 am

        Thanks, Angie!

        Reply

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