Food Recipes Orzo Pasta Salad with Shrimp Be the first to rate & review! Creamy and bright, this pasta salad gets a lively boost from sweet peas and pickles. By Jenna Helwig Jenna Helwig Jenna is the food director at Real Simple and the author of Bare Minimum Dinners, a cookbook featuring more than 100 low-lift, high-reward recipes. Previously, Jenna was the food director at Health and Parents. She is also the founder and operator of Rosaberry, a boutique personal chef services company, and the author of four other cookbooks, including the bestselling Baby-Led Feeding. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Published on June 23, 2024 Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Greg DuPree; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Carla Gonzalez Hart Prep Time: 30 mins Total Time: 30 mins Servings: 8 Do dill pickles make everything better? In this case, the answer is a resounding yes. This 30-minute orzo pasta salad recipe features shrimp, peas, and celery in a mayonnaise-based dressing perked up with umami-rich Worcestershire, zingy Dijon mustard, and bright lemon. Chopped dill pickles and fresh dill are tossed with the shrimp-orzo mixture for a fresh summertime pasta salad. Serve it as a side dish at your next barbecue or make it the star of the show alongside grilled vegetables. Add finely chopped radishes or capers for even more pops of flavor and texture. Orzo It may look like rice, but orzo is actually semolina pasta, just like traditional spaghetti and penne. Ingredients 1 lb. large peeled raw shrimp, tails removed 1 lb. orzo 1 cup fresh or frozen sweet peas 1 cup mayonnaise 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard 2 tsp. lemon zest plus 1/3 cup fresh juice (from 3 lemons) 1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more for cooking orzo 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more for topping 3/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 2 medium stalks celery, chopped (about 1 cup) 1/2 cup finely chopped dill pickles (from a 16-oz. jar) 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill, plus more for topping Directions Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high. Add shrimp; cook until just pink, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a spider or slotted spoon, transfer to a colander placed in a shallow bowl or on a plate. Rinse shrimp in cold water to stop cooking. Pat dry and transfer to a large bowl. Return pot of water to a boil over high. Stir in salt and add orzo; cook according to package directions for al dente. Add peas during last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain orzo and peas; rinse under cold water and drain well. Transfer to large bowl with shrimp. While orzo is cooking, whisk mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons water, mustard, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl. Add dressing to large bowl with shrimp; stir to coat. Stir in celery, pickles, and dill. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with pepper and dill. Make-Ahead: Assemble and refrigerate this salad up to 24 hours in advance of serving, omitting the dill. Let come to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving and add the dill. If the salad seems dry drizzle with additional olive oil. Ingredient Substitutions Shrimp - This pasta salad would be equally delicious made with grilled, poached, or rotisserie chicken. Simply cut or tear cooked chicken into bite-size pieces and toss in the mayonnaise mixture. Or, leave out the seafood and chicken entirely to make this vegetarian. (Use vegetarian Worcestershire sauce in that case.)Orzo - Try making this with another small pasta shape such as ditalini. Or, try Israeli couscous or cooked brown rice.Sweet peas - Use finely chopped cooked broccoli or chopped sugar snap peas.Dill pickles - Capers would do the trick.Dill - Swap in chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or fennel fronds. Rate It Print