Go Back
the best seafood pasta salad overhead in white bowl with dill

The Best Seafood Pasta Salad

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chill Time 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Course, Salad

Ingredients
  

Pasta
  • 12 oz rotini pasta farfalle or fusilli also work
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt for pasta water
Seafood
  • 2 cups imitation crab meat shredded (or 1.5 cups cooked salad shrimp)
  • Vegetables
  • 3 stalks celery finely diced
  • 1/2 medium red onion finely diced
  • 1 cup frozen sweet peas thawed (do not cook)
  • 1/4 cup fresh dill chopped (or 2 tsp dried dill)
Old Bay Dressing
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise Duke's or Hellmann's recommended
  • 1/4 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 tsp Old Bay seasoning up to 1 tbsp for bolder flavor
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice about 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp celery salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Method
 

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a full boil. Add rotini and cook 1 minute less than the package al dente time (about 7-8 minutes). Set a timer.
    cooking rotini pasta in boiling salted water
  2. Drain immediately. Rinse under cold running water for 90 seconds until completely cool. Shake off excess water and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
    rinsing rotini under cold water to stop cooking cold-shock technique
  3. Whisk mayo, sour cream, Old Bay, lemon juice, Dijon, celery salt, and pepper until smooth. Taste — it should be bold.
    whisking Old Bay creamy dressing in white ceramic bowl
  4. Shred imitation crab into bite-sized pieces. If using shrimp, thaw fully and pat dry. Both must be cold before mixing.
    shredding imitation crab next to bowl of cooked shrimp
  5. Finely dice celery and red onion. Thaw peas under cold water. Chop fresh dill.
    dicing celery red onion and thawing peas for seafood pasta salad
  6. Add celery, onion, and 2/3 of the peas to the pasta. Pour dressing over and toss to coat. Fold in seafood gently.
    tossing seafood pasta salad with creamy Old Bay dressing
  7. Set aside remaining peas and half the dill for serving.
    reserving fresh dill and peas for seafood pasta salad garnish
  8. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Before serving, taste and adjust seasoning. Add reserved peas and dill. Serve cold.
    covering pasta salad and placing in refrigerator to chill