Spot prawns and side stripes are now appearing in Juneau’s stores and harbors. No other shrimp compare, as far as I am concerned. As I have begun fantasizing about future picnics and what would be good to bring, I thought instead of making the typical pasta, vegetable or potato salads it was time to come up with a truly tasty shrimp salad recipe.
So many pasta salads are bland concoctions with too much mayonnaise, too many ingredients and heavy with pasta in various forms. I wanted to create one where our local shrimp are the star, the other components just serving to enhance their delicate sweetness.
There are several Louisiana cookbooks in my possession. I went to them first to see how they approached seafood, especially shrimp. There weren’t any shrimp pasta salad recipes but there were many tips on seasonings.
It had been my plan originally to add lots of different vegetables and herbs to the salad, but then I thought I would attempt one with only celery and green onions. I selected bow tie pasta but go ahead and use your favorite one. Probably just about 8 ounces of dried (two cups) is plenty. For this amount of pasta you will need at least a pound of cooked shrimp. You don’t want them hidden by other ingredients. The dressing will seem a little odd but it really worked. Please use a good mayonnaise or make your own, if you prefer.
Shrimp pasta à la New Orleans
Ingredients for salad
1 pound of small/medium shrimp in the shell
8 ounces of dried pasta such as bow ties or shells cooked to al dente (It isn’t tough but it still has a bite.)
4 stalks of celery cut into small dice
3 green onions, sliced thin
Salad dressing
½ cup of good quality mayonnaise
¼ cup finely minced onion
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
4 raw shelled shrimp
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon New Orleans-style seasoning (See recipe or use a purchased one that you know and like.)
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt then add pasta and cook according to package directions. You can scoop these out and use the water for the shrimp if you want to save time later. Rinse pasta in cold water, drain and set aside in a large bowl.
Add shrimp in the shell to the salted boiling water. Cook just until they begin to turn pink. This only takes two or three minutes. DO NOT OVERCOOK. THEY BECOME TOUGH. Quickly drain and rinse with cold water. Remove shells and set aside. (You can also cook them without the shells if you want to make fish stock with them later. Great for seafood chowder.) If the shrimp are very large, cut them in half.
Mayonnaise sauce
Place vegetables and butter into small saucepan with seasonings and cook at low heat until the vegetables are soft. Add shrimp and cook until just pink.
Put contents of the saucepan into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
Mix with mayonnaise and add two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. Taste for seasoning. This is important. If you want it spicier or saltier, now is the time to add whatever you like.
Seasoning for dressing
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon red pepper
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 pinch of dried thyme
Or, just use Chef Prudhomme’s seafood seasoning or another creole seasoning of your choice, which is what I did. I did notice though that these vary in flavor after making the salad twice.
The final mix
Mix shrimp, chopped vegetables, seasoned mayonnaise and pasta together. Taste for seasoning, adding more as you like.
Place in refrigerator and chill until ready to serve. This recipe serves four people generously. Although this salad is great served the day it is made, I thought it was even better the next day.
