Pickled Shrimp and Pasta Salad
Looking for a recipe that’s perfect for spring, this one could be it. Shrimp with beautiful green vegetables and herbs do the trick. The freshness is enhanced by the vinaigrette that tends to get trapped in the orecchiette pasta making a flavorful bite every time. One handy kitchen tool you will need is a spider skimmer to make this recipe super easy. Definitely prepare this salad ahead because it gets better the longer it sits. I put the salad together on a Saturday evening and served it for lunch on Monday. It was perfect. enJOY!
- Ice
- 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1 pound uncooked orecchiette pasta
- 3 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
- 2 pounds medium size raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
- 1 tablespoon coarse-grained mustard (I like Maille Old Style Whole Grain Dijon Mustard)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic (from two garlic cloves)
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cups fresh sugar snap peas, sliced
- 2 green onions, sliced
- ½ cup thinly sliced celery (from two stalks)
- 1 cup roughly chopped fresh dill
Fill a large bowl with ice and water and set aside. In a large stock pot bring 12 cups water with 3 tablespoons salt to a boil. Add orecchiette pasta, and cook stirring often until al dente, following package directions. Using your spider skimmer, transfer pasta from boiling water to a paper towel lined baking sheet. Let cool about 10 minutes. Do not remove boiling water from heat.
Add 3 tablespoons of the Old Bay to boiling water then add shrimp and boil for about 2 minutes until just cooked through. Immediately transfer shrimp to ice water and let shrimp cool completely.
In a medium bowl, whisk together lemon juice, mustard, garlic, crushed red pepper, black pepper, and honey. Add remaining 1 teaspoon of salt. Gradually whisk in oil until smooth and combined.
Place pasta, shrimp, sugar snap peas, green onions, celery, and dill in a large bowl. Add vinaigrette and toss until well coated. Serve or cover and store in refrigerator up to 48 hours.