A light and refreshing Seafood Pasta Salad recipe for a lunch you can enjoy all week or side dish for get togethers! This Shrimp Pasta Salad is so easy and uses just a few ingredients. It’s the ultimate summer pasta salad!
It’s no secret that I love pasta salad. It is the ultimate spring and summer side dish or refreshing lunch.
This one is a great recipe for summer get togethers like Memorial Day, the 4th of July, Labor Day and more! Cold pasta salad is also a great addition to any outdoor gathering!
In fact, I’ve got an entire post dedicated to rounding up all the reader-fave easy pasta salad recipes around here.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
The idea for this Shrimp Pasta Salad recipe stemmed from my insanely popular White Wine Sauce recipe. It’s light, low in calories and the perfect bed for shrimp, scallops and crab.
This recipe is quick and easy to make. It comes together in minutes and can be made in advance. It’s also easy to tote for get togethers, barbecues and beach picnics.
Psst… love shrimp as much as we do? Don’t miss these delicious tequila lime shrimp skewers!
Ingredients
- White Wine Dressing – A blend of olive oil, butter, white wine, salt, and red pepper is so light, yet flavorful.
- Grated Parmesan – Fresh grated parmesan adds texture and flavor, without adding a lot of calories.
- Parsley – You know my motto, fresh is always best and that’s no exception in this summer pasta salad. It’s the perfect garnish to add a little color.
- Pasta – You can use your favorite pasta. I love the way corkscrew (also known as cellentani) looks and holds up, but any will do!
- Shrimp – Small shrimp work best for this recipe. You can use pre-cooked frozen shrimp, canned shrimp or even chop some larger shrimp. It adds so much color to this beautiful recipe!
- Crab Meat – Use your favorite kind of crab here – we use lump crab meat for ease. It is usually located in the refrigerated section of your grocery store, near fresh seafood.
Variations
- Lobster and scallops also taste amazing in this pasta salad.
- If you want to add a even more flavor to this Seafood Pasta Salad recipe, use a little Old Bay.
- You can use your favorite dry white wine like a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. You can also use white cooking wine.
How to Make
You can get the full printable recipe below but I like to break it down into more detail for those who prefer it. This shrimp pasta salad recipe comes together start to finish in 15 minutes!
- Boil your pasta al dente.
- Drain your noodles and rinse them in cold water.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine olive oil, melted butter, white wine, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper in a jar with a lid.
- Add pasta, shrimp, crab meat, and parmesan. I like to layer it because fresh grated parmesan and crab meat can tend to lump together. That way it tosses evenly.
- Garnish with fresh parsley, green onions or crushed red pepper.
- Refrigerate until serving, at least 2+ hours to allow the dressing to soak into the pasta and seafood.
Tips
- Don’t overcook your noodles, prepare them al dente. This will prevent your pasta salad from becoming mushy and toss easier. Overcooking your noodles will result in a mushier pasta salad.
- After straining noodles, rinse them with cold water. This shocks them and will help them stand up to the pasta salad dressing. Allow your pasta to cool before adding the pasta salad dressing and ingredients.
- Let your pasta salad marinate. The best pasta salads are made in advance to allow the dressing to soak into your bow tie pasta and toppings. This makes it so flavorful!
Seafood Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 16 ounces pasta
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 5 tablespoons salted butter melted
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper {or to taste}
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper fresh cracked to taste
- ½ cup white wine {can use cooking wine}
- 2 cups shrimp (cooked)
- 6 oz lump crab meat
- 1 cup fresh grated parmesan
- parsley or chives to garnish
Instructions
- Prepare noodles according to instructions on the box. Drain and rinse in cold water. Set aside.
- In a jar, combine olive oil, butter, red pepper, salt, pepper and white wine to make the dressing. Shake well.
- Toss with pasta, shrimp, crab meat and parmesan.
- Garnish with chives or parsley and red pepper flakes for a little more kick.
- Refrigerate 2+ hours before serving to allow it to marinate.
Julie’s Tips
- Small shrimp work best for this recipe. You can use pre-cooked frozen shrimp, canned shrimp or even chop some larger shrimp. It adds so much color to this beautiful recipe!
- Use your favorite kind of crab here – we use lump crab meat for ease. It is usually located in the refrigerated section of your grocery store, near fresh seafood.
Variations
- Can substitute imitation crab.
- Spice it up with Old Bay seasoning.
- Use your favorite pasta. We used cellentani in this recipe!
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
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Originally published April 2018
Love this for all the pot lucks!
I don’t make enough seafood recipes, but this looks super tasty & easy! I will have to give it a try!
So simple and easy to make but so tasty, thank you!
Such a great pasta seafood salad! Yum!
This seafood pasta salad is perfect for a light lunch, too!