Tea Room Seafood Pasta Salad |
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Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 8 Minutes |
Ready In: 8 Minutes Servings: 8 |
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When we lived in Charleston, IL, there was a small town a few minutes away (Ashland) that had the best tea room around. I don't know if they're still in business 20 years later, but I never ate a dish there that I didn't want the recipe for - their seafood pasta was no exception. Read more . Served in a scooped out tomato, or on a bed of large, crispy lettuce or romaine, this is the perfect entree for a hot summer day. If you omit the pasta, it makes a killer sandwich filling, too (so good on a lightly toasted croissant!). If you're ever near Ashland, in central IL, check it out and see if they still have the tea room on the city square! Ingredients:
11/2 cups uncooked pasta rings or elbow or little shells or ditalini, etc - the smaller the pasta, the better |
1/2 pound fresh crab meat (i prefer to use the refrigerated crab - or pick my own crab meat off the legs - over the shelved canned crab...it gives such a great fresh flavor that can't be matched by shelved or imitation crab meat) |
1/2 pound fresh medium shrimp, chopped coarsely |
4 chopped green onions, whites and some of the greens |
1/2 cup diced celery (i prefer to peel the outer stalks of the celery first, using a potato peeler - try it sometime...the celery is tender and crispy without all the stringy-ness!) |
3/4 cup mayonnaise |
1 teaspoon (or to taste) dried dill weed |
dash or two of old bay seasoning |
juice of 1 lemon |
salt and pepper to your taste (if even needed - taste it first) |
Directions:
1. Cook pasta per package directions; drain and allow it to cool completely.
2. Mix crab, shrimp, green onions, celery, and cooled pasta.
3. Mix mayonnaise with dill weed, Old Bay, and lemon juice; pour over salad mixture.
4. Taste salad; season with salt and pepper, if needed.
5. Keep salad well-chilled until ready to serve.
6. When garden tomatoes are in season, this salad is excellent served in a scooped out tomato; or serve it on top of a bed of crisp lettuce or romaine leaves, surrounded by sliced tomatoes and sweet onions cut into rings.
7. ALTERATION: Omit the pasta from the recipe and this makes a great seafood sandwich filling, especially on lightly toasted croissants, or crusty sub-sandwich type rolls, topped with lettuce and a tomato slice.
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