This fresh and zesty seafood pasta salad brings bold and bright flavors, using only elevated ingredients for a gourmet version of this delicious classic. Made with shrimp, crab meat, veggies, and pasta all with a creamy and perfectly seasoned yogurt dressing.
As a busy mom who loves bold flavor, this seafood pasta dish is one of my favorite delicious pescatarian recipes for its relative ease. It comes together in just about 30 minutes, for a quick meal that serves a lot, and is great with no reheating necessary for leftovers throughout the week.
Between this cold-served seafood pasta salad, my Scallop Risotto, and my Salmon Spinach Pasta, I’ve got elegant seafood night covered!
Seafood Pasta Salad without Mayonnaise Ingredient Highlights
I used Rotini, but any short pasta including Penne Rigate, Fusilli, Farfalle, Macaroni, Small Shells, and Ziti will work.
It’s easiest to buy cooked shrimp, but you can also buy fresh or frozen large de-veined shrimp and boil it yourself. As for the crab meat, you can go for lump, jumbo lump, claw, or even imitation crab meat.
Fresh dill is my preference to add extra freshness and an herbaceous finish to this shrimp and crab pasta salad, but you can easily substitute basil or parsley. You can also use dried dill in a pinch.
Seafood Pasta Salad Tips and Tricks
How to Make Yogurt Pasta Salad with Seafood
Bring ten cups of water to a rolling boil and cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packaging. Depending on the pasta shape you choose, the cooking time may vary slightly.
Once cooked, rinse the pasta and set it aside to cool. Rinsing the pasta after cooking it will remove excess starch to help avoid the noodles sticking together.
While the pasta is cooking, prep your ingredients and make your yogurt dressing. Rinse and slice your grape tomatoes in half lengthwise, remove the fresh dill from the stem and chop, and peel, core, and dice your onion.
Peel your cooked shrimp and chop into bite-sized pieces.
Add the Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, honey, fresh dill, and Old Bay Seasoning to a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
Once the sauce is ready and the pasta is completely cooled, add the sauce to the pasta and toss.
Make sure the pasta is completely and roughly evenly coated in the creamy sauce before adding the other ingredients.
Add the crab meat, peas, tomatoes, red onion, and shrimp and toss again.
How to Store Leftover Pasta Salad with Seafood
Leftover seafood pasta should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and will last for 3-5 days.
Leftovers can also be frozen for up to a year. Make sure you use a freezer-safe airtight container. To thaw, the best method is to transfer it to the refrigerator and let it thaw overnight.
Seafood Pasta Salad with Shrimp and Crab Meat
SAVE RECIPE TO COLLECTION PIN PRINT RATEIngredients
- 16 ounces short pasta (I used rotini)
- 1 cup green peas (fresh or frozen and thawed)
- ยฝ large red onion
- 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
- ยผ cup fresh dill (or basil or parsley)
- 12 large peeled and cooked shrimp
- ยพ cup plain Greek Yogurt
- ยผ cup lemon juice (ยผ cup juice = juice of 1 whole lemon)
- 1 tablespoon honey ( or agave nectar or maple syrup)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning (or other seafood seasoning)
- 6 ounces lump or claw crab meat or imitation crab (6 ounces = approx. 1 cup)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta al dente. Then, rinse the pasta and allow to cool completely (rinsing will help to avoid the noodles sticking together as they cool).16 ounces short pasta
- Meanwhile, prep your ingredients by thawing the peas if necessary, dicing the onion, slicing the tomatoes in half lengthwise, chopping your fresh dill, and cutting your shrimp into bite-sized pieces. *ยฝ large red onion, 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, ยผ cup fresh dill, 12 large peeled and cooked shrimp, 1 cup green peas
- Make your dressing by whisking together the Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, honey, lemon juice, chopped dill, and Old Bay Seasoning until smooth.ยพ cup plain Greek Yogurt, ยผ cup lemon juice, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
- Once your pasta is completely cooled, add the dressing and toss to coat.
- Add the crab meat, shrimp, tomatoes, red onion, and peas and toss to combine. Serve at room temperature or cold. Enjoy!6 ounces lump or claw crab meat or imitation crab
Pro Tips
- *you can buy your shrimp already peeled and cooked, but if you want to cook your own, boil the shrimp for two minutes, then transfer to an ice bath to cool. Once cooled, peel the shrimp.ย
- For more shrimp, check out this Blackened Shrimp over Old Bay Mashed Potatoes.ย
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This is a sponsored post by Champagne Taittinger.
1 thought on “Seafood Pasta Salad with Shrimp and Crab Meat”
Another lovely fresh and tasty lunch recipe.