Insalata Pasta con Fruiti de Mare

Summer Eating



Several years ago in Eugene, Oregon I had a party for all of my office mates and wanted to serve a pasta salad - but I wanted something out of the ordinary. So I gave it some thought and came up with this recipe. As I remember my guests scarfed it down like they hadn't eaten in days. Come to think of it, they ate everything like they hadn't eaten in days. A few years later my I hosted a Cooks Bash in California for my Web cooking buddies and we had a picnic at a winery in Napa and I made this salad again for them. Same deal, the pasta salad simply disappeared.

My guests scarfed it down like they hadn't eaten in days.

The salad is a bit unusual in being dressed with olive oil and lemon juice instead of mayonnaise, but the result is a much lighter salad.

Pasta Salad with Seafood
Serves 4 as a light meal or 6 as a side dish.

16 oz. farfalle or other pasta
1/2 c olive oil — divided
1 yellow bell pepper — diced
12 - 16 cherry tomatoes — cut in half
6 tbsp lemon juice
4 oz. boiled shrimp
4 oz. smoked salmon — broken into chunks
4 oz. crab meat
4 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
Salt and pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil*. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water.

Transfer pasta to a large mixing bowl, add all other ingredients except tomatoes, and mix well. Chill for at least 2 hours. Add tomatoes just before serving.

Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve.

*Note: Adding oil to the water helps keep the pasta from sticking together.

Try this Pasta Salad with...
Soufflé Provençal
Chicken Saltimbocca
Lemon Chiffon Pie

Elise's Mom's Macaroni Salad
Kalyn's Macaroni Salad with Tomatoes, Basil, & Feta

Technorati: Food | recipe | kevin d weeks | seriously good | salad | pasta | seafood