Seafood Pasta Salad

 

This recipe was updated on 11 July 2013. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.

I was thinking about making a pasta salad with seafood, and low and behold, shrimp came on sale. So my timing was good since you can really use any available seafood to make this salad. I decided to add two “fake” seafood ingredients, imitation crab flakes and imitation shark’s fin. Most people are familiar with imitation crab flakes, but probably not with imitation shark’s fin. I’ve always used imitation shark’s fin in soup, so this is the first time I’ve used it in a salad.

Imitation shark’s fin is a gelatin-based product that is made to resemble the real shark’s fin long transparent cartilage strands. Both the real and imitation shark’s fin have no taste, but it’s the texture that makes it an interesting ingredient. The imitation version comes packaged frozen and when defrosted, look like transparent brown noodles. I prefer to use the imitation given how the real version is obtained.

Another interesting ingredient is fresh seaweed. You can get fresh seaweed (and the imitation shark’s fin) at your local Asian market and it comes as long strips or tied into bow-ties. I used the bow-tie version in this dish and it gives an added crunch to the dish, as well as a distinct flavor.

Enjoy!

Salad Ingredients

1 lb.	500 g.	Penne pasta or any pasta of your choice
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Salt, add to pasta cooking water
4 qt.	4 l.	Water to cook the pasta
¾ lb.	375 g.	Cooked shrimp
½ lb.	250 g.	Imitation crab flakes – ½ of a package
½ lb.	250 g.	Imitation shark’s fin – ½ of a package
½ lb.	250 g.	Fresh seaweed (optional)
1 cup	250 ml.	Cherry tomatoes (I also added Sungold tomatoes)
1	1	Pear, diced into ½-inch (12 mm.) pieces
½ lb.	250 g.	Button mushrooms, diced into ½-inch (12 mm.) pieces
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions, cut into ½-inch (12 mm.) pieces
3	3	Medium shallots, diced into ½-inch (12 mm.) pieces
¼ cup	60 ml.	Feta cheese

 

Yogurt Dressing Ingredients

¼ cup	60 ml.	Mint, finely chopped
1 cup	250 ml	Plain non-fat yogurt
¼ cup	60 ml.	Extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup	60 ml.	Rice vinegar
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Sesame oil
2	2	Limes or 1 lemon, juiced
½ lb.	250 g.	Fresh seaweed (optional)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Horseradish mustard
6 cloves	6 cloves	Garlic, crushed in a garlic press
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Salt (or to taste)
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground black pepper

 

Instructions

1. Defrost the cooked shrimp (if using frozen), imitation crab flakes, and imitation shark’s fin in the refrigerator the night before making the pasta salad.
2. Add salt and bring water to boil in a pot to cook the pasta. When the water is at a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook for the manufacturer’s recommended cooking time or until the pasta is al dente. Drain the pasta in a colander and cool with cold water. Put the pasta into a large mixing bowl.
3. Put the shrimp, imitation crab flakes, and imitation shark’s fin in the mixing bowl with the pasta. You usually need only ½ of the package for the imitation crab flakes and imitation shark’s fin.
4. Put the seaweed into the mixing bowl with the pasta.
5. Wash and de-stem the tomatoes, and add them to the mixing bowl.
6. Wash, halve, and remove the core from the pear. Dice the pear halves into ½-inch (12 mm.) pieces and add to the mixing bowl.
7. Wash and dice the button mushrooms into ½-inch (12 mm.) pieces, and add to mixing bowl.
8. Wash and slice the green onions into ½-inch (12 mm.) pieces, and add to the mixing bowl.
9. Dice the shallots into ½-inch (12 mm.) pieces and add to the mixing bowl.
10. Add the feta cheese to the mixing bowl. Mix the ingredients in the mixing bowl.
11. Wash and finely chop the mint, and add it to another mixing bowl for preparing the dressing. Place the yogurt, olive oil, rice vinegar, sesame oil, lime or lemon juice, horseradish mustard, crushed garlic, salt, and pepper into the bowl with the mint and mix together vigorously.
12. Pour the dressing into the mixing bowl with the salad ingredients and mix together. Put the pasta salad into the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving with Garlic Garlic Bread.