Crab Pasta Salad (Make-Ahead Party Side for Winter Gatherings)
Fresh, bright, and bursting with summer seafood flavor, this Crab Pasta Salad is the ultimate summer potluck side dish. Made with tender medium shell pasta, sweet imitation crab meat, crisp vegetables, and a creamy dill mayonnaise dressing, it’s a refreshing and easy dish perfect for warm weather gatherings.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 18 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta and Seafood
- 1 pound medium shells pasta
- 14 ounces imitation crab meat
Vegetables
- ½ cup frozen peas, thawed
- ½ cup red onion, peeled and chopped
- ½ cup celery, chopped
- ½ cup red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
Dressing and Seasoning
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried dill)
- Salt & pepper to taste
Garnish
- Fresh chives, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and generously salt the water. Cook the medium shell pasta according to the package directions until al dente, which usually takes about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and cool it down.
- Combine ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add the cooled pasta, imitation crab meat, thawed peas, chopped red onion, celery, red bell pepper, mayonnaise, and chopped dill. Gently stir all the ingredients together until everything is well coated with the mayonnaise dressing.
- Season to taste: Taste the mixture and season with salt and pepper as desired, stirring gently to incorporate the seasoning evenly throughout the salad.
- Chill the salad: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the crab pasta salad for at least 1 hour. This chilling step allows the flavors to meld and the salad to become nicely chilled and refreshing.
- Serve: Remove the salad from the fridge, uncover, and sprinkle fresh chopped chives on top for garnish. Serve cold as a side dish for summer meals or potlucks.
Notes
- The peas do not need to be cooked; just thaw them before adding.
- You can substitute real crab meat for imitation crab for a more authentic seafood flavor.
- For extra flavor, consider adding a splash of lemon juice or a pinch of Old Bay seasoning.
- If you prefer, you can substitute mashed ripe avocado for mayonnaise to make a creamy, slightly different dressing.
- This salad can be kept refrigerated for up to 2 days, though it’s best fresh within 24 hours.
- Feel free to omit peas if you or your guests do not like them; other vegetables or additions like chopped mango can add sweetness and texture.