Creamy Dill Shrimp Pasta Salad sponsored my 2020 summer and it looks like it might be doing the same for 2021. This salad is creamy, delicious, and above all elegant.

Big white bowl of Creamy Dill Shrimp Pasta Salad

Tips and Tricks

Sourcing Shrimp for Shrimp Pasta

When I’m buying shrimp in the back of my mind I always wonder if I’m purchasing the right choice for our planet, health, and wallet’s sake. I asked a fisherman at my local farmers market and he suggested I looked for wild/ pot caught shrimp. That being said, it’s hard to find cooked shrimp that’s not farm-raised. I have had luck on and off at wholefoods.

Quickly Thawing Shrimp

I start to thaw my shrimp right after I start to boil the pasta. In my CLEAN sink, I dump the shrimp into a colander and run under COLD water for about 1-2 minutes. I let the shrimp hang out there while I make the Creamy Dill Sauce and chop the celery. Rinse the shrimp one more time before dumping them onto a paper towel and patting them dry. Now they’re ready to rock baby!

How to choose the right pasta for Pasta Salad

For this pasta I use Orecchiette. I like this pasta for a few reasons. First off it has a good chew to it. It’s not like a macaroni noodle that will slide down without realizing what happened but not too big that you can’t get a little bit of shrimp, pasta, and celery together. It’s all about the ratio! You could use a medium shell pasta for this as well.

Rinsing Pasta for Pasta Salad

The only time I rinse my pasta is when I am making a cold dish like pasta salad. When pasta is rinsed it takes off any extra starchy residue. When you are making a traditional pasta that will go with bolognese or vodka sauce you will want to leave the starch on the pasta giving it a fuller texture.

Making Flavors POP

You might be wondering why I don’t have you add all the ingredients to the sauce and then simply mix with the shrimp and pasta? Let’s get food nerdy; by adding the ingredients in this order you are allowing each ingredient to have its own flavor debut. They will work together in their flavor parings complementing each other. The end product is elegant and DELICIOUS!

Let’s make Creamy Dill Shrimp Pasta Salad

A white bowl full of shrimp surrounded by celery, a lemon, one clove of garlic, dill, pasta, a spoon full of salt, and a spoon full of mustard

Creamy Dill Shrimp Pasta Salad

Perfect for a quick summer salad. It’s light, creamy, and simply elegant. This dish will leave you feeling nourished.

Author: Kait
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20
Total Time: 30 minutes
Category: Salad
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup mayo
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 clove of garlic– crushed
2 teaspoons dried dill or fresh dill
Zest of one lemon
Juice of ½ lemon
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
5 stems of celery finely chopped
16 ounces Orecchiette Noodles
2 pounds Cooked Shrimp- deveined tail off

Instructions

Prep

Pasta: In a large pot boil pasta until al dente. Rinse and set aside.
Shrimp: While your pasta is boiling prepare your shrimp. Thaw, rinse, and pat dry. Mix Shrimp garlic, salt, and lemon zest together-set aside.
Chop: Finely chop your celery. The smaller the better. You want to enjoy the essence of celery but not let it run the show.
Creamy Dill Sauce: In a small bowl mix together mayo, vinegar, mustard, dill, and lemon juice.

Assemble

Mix: In a serving bowl mix together pasta, shrimp, celery, and creamy dill sauce.
Chill: Chill for a minimum of one hour before serving.

Keywords: shrimp, pasta, shrimp pasta, creamy shrimp pasta,