My shrimp, lemon, dill and orzo salad is in regular rotation at my house during the summer. It is light and tasty and packed with good for you (and tasty too) veggies and protein. I’m a huge fan of shrimp and I love shellfish in the summer. But, make no mistake, I make this all year long, it is that good. I actually have several shrimp salad recipes that my family and friends go wild for so be sure to try my Jicama, Apple, Carrot and Shrimp Salad, and my Shrimp, Summer Corn and Tomato Salad recipes too.
I like to make a batch of shrimp salad on Sunday. It keeps great for several days and is a great healthy lunch or light dinner all week long. This recipe works well with almost any green veggie, just blanch them first.
Ingredient Substitutions
Some substitutions could be snow peas, broccoli, asparagus and/or celery. The basis of this dish is lemon, shrimp and orzo. With that said, I have also used regular orzo and/or small pasta shapes like elbows and shells instead of the whole wheat orzo. All taste great and make this a very versatile dish. Use what you have on hand! this is a shrimp, lemon and dill pasta salad afterall.
How to make Shrimp, Lemon, Dill & Orzo Salad
- To get started, pull all your ingredients together. Cut your sugar snap peas in half diagonally. If the beans are large with tough ends and fibrous strings, cut off the ends of the beans and remove the string along the sides. If you buy small snap peas, you shouldn’t have this issue.
- Finely chop your dill and mince your shallot. I buy the carrots already shredded in a small bag in the produce department. If you didn’t, peel the carrots (about 1 one large), and shred the carrots in your food processor with the shredder blade or with a hand held vegetable shredder or mandoline.
- I buy my shrimp already peeled, deveined and tail removed. However, if you haven’t purchased them already prepped, remove the shells and tail, and devein the shrimp. Now that you have everything prepped, you can make this dish.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook for 7 minutes. Then add the shrimp and sugar snap peas to the same pot and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add the carrots to the same pot and cook for one minute.
- Drain everything really well in a colander. There is no reason to rinse. Just let the excess water drain off the mixture. While it is draining, make your dressing.
- In a measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the olive oil, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and minced shallots. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. You’ll wind up with a lemon dill salad dressing when we add the dill to the mix.
- Put the drained shrimp, snap peas, carrots and orzo into a large bowl. Add the zest of the lemon and the chopped dill. Pour the dressing over the shrimp and orzo mixture and toss to combine. Make sure everything is coated in the dressing. I like to chill this salad for at least an hour to let the flavors develop but you can eat this right away warm. I like to garnish with from sprigs of dill and lemon wheels.
How to serve this shrimp pasta salad
You can serve this salad warm, room temperature, or cold. It is great to pack up for lunch, take to picnics and BBQs and to serve on buffets. Serve in a big bowl or on a platter for guests to help themselves or serve in individual salad bowls.
Did you like this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below. I’d love to hear from you.
Then, try some of my other favorite shrimp recipes. Shrimp is definitely one of my favorite shellfish and I use it often in recipes. Leave a comment!
Shrimp Tacos with Healthy Chipotle Cream & Taco Slaw
Coconut Shrimp with Apricot & Horseradish Sauce
Ebi Tempura (Japanese Shrimp Tempura) with Ginger and Lime Dipping Sauce
Shrimp, Lemon, Dill & Orzo Salad
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 8 Oz. Whole-wheat orzo
- 1 Lb. Peeled and deveined shrimp (21-25 per lb. size)
- 3 Cups of sugar snap peas cut in half (if the ends are tough or there are stringy spines, cut them off and remove the string)
- 1/2 Cup Shredded carrots
- 3 Tbsp. Olive oil
- 2 Lemons – juice of both and zest of both
- ¼ Cup of finely chopped fresh dill (also have some small sprigs for garnish
- 1 Small shallot minced
- 2 Tsp. Dijon mustard
- ½ Tsp. Salt
- ½ Tbsp. Pepper
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to boil. (Throw in a couple of Tbsp. of salt to season water). Add orzo and cook for 7 minutes.
- Add shrimp and peas and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the carrots and cook for 1 minute. Drain.
- In a measuring cup, whisk together the olive oil, Dijon mustard, dill, lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper.
- Put drained shrimp mixture in bowl and top with dressing. Stir to coat everything. You can serve warm or cold.
