Shrimp Orzo Salad
Shrimp pasta salad is a nutritious and delicious dish. It combines all the nutrients a person needs: seafood, greens, fresh vegetables, and carbohydrates. This salad is light, versatile, and ideal for a balanced diet. This salad is perfect for those who dislike cooking, as it is quick, easy, and requires minimal effort, saving precious time and energy.
Cook Time
15 minutes
Equipment
Kitchen Salad ScissorsBuy
Ingredients
For the salad
- Dry orzo 230 g
- Raw shrimps (peeled and deveined) 450 g
- Dried oreagano 10 g
- Salt / Pepper to taste
- Olive oil 1 tbsp (for shrimp frying)
- Scallions (large) 2 pcs
- Fresh dill 2-3 branchs
- Cherry tomatoes 225 g
- Fresh cucumbers 2 pcs
- Crumbled Feta cheese 225 g
For the dressing
- Shallot onion ½-1 pc
- Balsamic vinegar 50 ml
- Maple syrup 1 tsp
- Dijon (honey) mustard 1 tsp
- Dried oregano 15 g
- Olive oil 4 tbsp
- Salt / Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the orzo pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Once cooked, rinse with cold water and, if desired, add a little butter or oil to prevent the pasta from sticking
- Season completely thawed and peeled shrimp with salt, pepper, and dried oregano. Fry them in olive oil for 2-3 minutes on each side, until fully cooked
- Dice the cucumbers and tomatoes into small pieces
- Use kitchen scissors to chop the green onions and dill
For the dressing
- Mince the shallot finely
- In a separate bowl, mix all the listed ingredients until smooth: onion, balsamic vinegar, syrup, mustard, oregano, oil, and salt or spices
- Spread a spoonful of dressing on the bottom of a salad serving bowl. Then layer the ingredients in order: cooled pasta, fried shrimp, chopped vegetables, chopped herbs, and 1-2 spoonfuls of dressing. Top with crumbled feta cheese, either spread over the salad or placed in the center
- Just before serving, toss all the ingredients together and enjoy!
Notes
The salad is served cold, so you can prepare the pasta, shrimp, and dressing in advance and simply mix them before serving. It’s a super quick, yet original, tasty, and fresh salad.
You can substitute the shrimp with other seafood and get creative with your seasoning.
The dressing can easily be modified to suit your taste preferences or available ingredients: replace the syrup with honey, balsamic vinegar with apple cider vinegar, and the shallot with a regular onion (but it’s advisable to pour boiling water over the onion first to remove excess bitterness).
Feta cheese can also be swapped for blue cheese, but in my subjective opinion, the original version tastes the best.
