Seafood Pasta Salad
This refreshing seafood pasta salad is creamy, flavorful, and packed with shrimp, crab, and tender pasta. Perfect for potlucks, picnics, BBQs, or light summer meals.
Ingredients
Pasta
- 12 oz rotini elbow, or shell pasta
- Salt for boiling
Seafood
- 1/2 lb cooked shrimp chopped (or small salad shrimp)
- 1/2 lb crab meat real or imitation
- Optional: 1/2 cup cooked scallops or lobster chunks
Vegetables
- 1 cup celery diced
- 1/2 cup red onion finely minced
- 1 cup bell peppers chopped (any color)
- 1/2 cup peas thawed if frozen
Creamy Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon sweet relish
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
Garnish
- Fresh dill or parsley
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
Cook the Pasta
- Boil pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool. Set aside.
Prepare the Seafood
- Chop shrimp and crab meat into bite-sized pieces if needed.
- Keep chilled until ready to mix.
Mix the Dressing
- In a bowl, combine mayo, sour cream, Dijon, lemon juice, relish, garlic powder, Old Bay, salt, and pepper.
- Whisk until smooth and creamy.
Combine Everything
- In a large bowl, add cooled pasta, seafood, celery, red onion, bell peppers, and peas.
- Pour dressing over and toss gently until coated.
Chill
- Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour for flavors to blend.
Serve
- Garnish with dill or parsley. Serve cold with lemon wedges.
Notes
- For a lighter version, replace half the mayo with Greek yogurt.
- Add hard-boiled eggs for extra protein.
- Use Old Bay seasoning for authentic seafood flavor.
- This salad tastes even better the next day.
- Keep refrigerated and consume within 2–3 days.