Shrimp and Crab Pasta Salad

This seafood pasta salad is a New England summer vacation in a bowl! Creamy pasta shells are tossed with Old Bay seasoning, lots of shrimp and crab, lemon, onion, celery and herbs.

With as much as I love seafood, I think I could easily move to New England and fit right in. But maybe I’d bring a few Midwest quirks with me, like buttermilk marinade for chicken and watermelon feta salad, and a deep love of pasta salad of all kinds.

Whether it’s my mom’s classic macaroni salad that I grew up with, or fancified versions full of tomatoes and asparagus like my goat cheese pasta salad and acini de pepe pasta salad, cold noodle dishes are a staple on my dinner menu in the summertime.

And while I generally think of shrimp as a main dish protein for my coconut risotto, shrimp ramen or buffalo shrimp pizza, it really fits right into pasta salad quite nicely.

This seafood pasta salad recipe with both shrimp and crab is my virtual trip to New England this summer. Don’t forget to pack the Old Bay seasoning!

What is in this seafood pasta salad recipe?

• pasta – I used medium shells, since they kind of remind me of the ocean. You can also use elbows to make seafood macaroni salad; bowties and fusilli are also popular choices for this seafood pasta salad recipe.
• mayonnaise – not “salad dressing,” please. Real mayo, Hellman’s preferred for this pasta salad with seafood!
• sugar – just a teaspoon, which helps bring out the natural sweetness of the crab.
• lemon juice – freshly squeezed from a real lemon.
• Old Bay seasoning – absolutely crucial to get that “New England” flavor into this crab and shrimp pasta salad. This seasoning mix includes celery salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and paprika.
• salt – for a little extra seasoning.
• shrimp – look for a bag of frozen “salad shrimp” at the store. This is very small (100+ or even 200+ per pound) cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp. Just thaw and it’s ready to eat! If you can’t find this, you can buy larger cooked shrimp and chop them up into bite-sized pieces.
• crab meat – I used canned, lump crabmeat. It wouldn’t be my first choice, but you CAN use imitation crabmeat here.
• celery – two stalks, chopped up, for crunch!
• onion – I carefully measure this out so I’m sure I’m using 1/4 cup. Just enough to lend the shrimp and crab pasta salad a little onion flavor, but not so much that it overpowers the flavor of the seafood.
• dill – I love the flavor of fresh dill, but you can also use half the amount of dried dill.
• chives – thinly sliced green onion (green parts only) also works.

How to make Shrimp and Crab Pasta Salad

First, get your water boiling. When it’s boiling, add a generous amount of salt, and the pasta, and cook according to the package instructions for “al dente.”

Thaw the shrimp in a colander under some cold running water, if necessary, and open the can of crabmeat.

Chop up the vegetables (onion and celery) and herbs (dill and chives).

Then, make the shrimp and crab pasta salad dressing by stirring together the mayonnaise, sugar, lemon juice, Old Bay and salt. Make the dressing in a bowl large enough to add all the other salad ingredients.

By now, the pasta should be done cooking. Drain it, rinse it under cold water to stop the cooking process, then drain it again, very well.

Add the pasta to the bowl with the dressing, along with the seafood, vegetables and herbs. Gently toss everything together with a spatula, and this crab and shrimp pasta salad is done!

Cover and refrigerate this seafood pasta salad at least two hours before serving (or up to two days) to allow the flavors to develop.

Can you make Crab Pasta Salad the night before?

Yes! You can make and refrigerate this seafood pasta salad for up to two days, so I highly recommend making it the night before you plan on serving it.

Pasta Seafood Salad variations

• LOBSTER – For a truly indulgent treat, use chunks of fresh lobster in place of the crab.
• CORN – If corn is in season, add a handful of fresh kernels for a touch of sweetness and crunch.

Pasta Seafood Salad storage

Can you freeze seafood pasta salad?

The answer here is that you probably COULD freeze this shrimp and crab pasta salad, but I really don’t recommend it.

One time I tried to freeze some traditional pasta salad (just noodles, Italian dressing and veggies), and honestly, once it was thawed again, the texture was just off. It really wasn’t too enjoyable to eat the second time around.

Not only will the texture of the noodles in this seafood pasta salad recipe suffer, but I don’t think the texture of the shrimp and crab will be very good after freezing and thawing.

So, if possible, refrigerate this crab and shrimp pasta salad and eat it within two days of making it for the best flavor and texture.

What to serve with Seafood Salad Pasta

Honestly, a lot of times (especially on really hot summer days), I’ll eat this seafood pasta salad as my entree. I’ve even been known to serve it on a brunch menu.

But, if I’m serving it more as a side dish to a main course for dinner, some of my favorite entrees to serve this with are slow cooker baby back ribs (don’t forget the dry rub recipe), grilled zucchini roll ups and my umami burger recipe.

Seafood Salad Pasta FAQs