Creamy Shrimp and Crab Pasta Salad – Easy Seafood Side Dish Recipe

Dive into summer flavors with this easy and delicious Shrimp and Crab Pasta Salad! Made with tender shell pasta, juicy shrimp, sweet crab meat, and a creamy dressing, it’s the perfect make-ahead side dish for cookouts, potlucks, or light lunches. Get tips for customization, storage, and more!

Creamy Shrimp and Crab Pasta Salad

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Course: Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: 16 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried elbow macaroni
• 1.5 lb medium or large cooked shrimp (peeled / deveined)
• 2 lb imitation crab flakes or chunk style
• 1 large red bell pepper (diced)
• 2 medium tomatoes (diced)
• 3 stalks celery (diced)
• 1 small red onion (diced)
• 4 cups mayo (Kraft, Hellmann's, or Duke's)
• 1 tsp seasoning salt + more to season to taste
• 1 tsp cajun seasoning or Old Bay + more to season to taste
• 1 tsp black pepper + more to season to taste

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add dried pasta to the boiling water and stir. Cook pasta for approximately 7 minutes, or until done, but allow pasta to be firm.
• Drain pasta into a large colander and run cold water over the pasta to stop it from cooking. Set pasta aside in the refrigerator to keep it cold (30 mins).
• Rinse cooked shrimp. Be sure to devein and remove shell and tails. Pat dry.
• Remove pasta from the refrigerator and add seasoning salt, cajun seasoning, black pepper, bell pepper, celery, tomatoes, and red onions.
• Add crab and shrimp to the pasta mixture.
• Add mayo to the pasta mixture and mix all ingredients until creamy.
• Taste and add more seasoning as needed.