When I created this Old Bay Shrimp Macaroni Salad I literally could NOT. STOP. EATING (neither could my taste testers). This is one of those side dishes that you bring to a barbecue and it unexpectedly steals the show. Poach the shrimp in Old Bay seasoned water, boil the pasta in the same pot, and the flavor goes all the way through every bite. Bring this to your next cookout and prepare for everyone to ask you to hound you to send them a link to the recipe.
The whole pasta salad comes together while the shrimp and pasta cook - diced celery, red pepper, and red onion get folded into a creamy Old Bay, mayo-sour cream dressing brightened with fresh lemon juice. I serve this alongside my other barbecue side dishes like Best Crock Pot Mac and Cheese when the weather warms up, and it earns its spot next to the Pulled Pork Sandwich at every summer cookout. If you've been sleeping on pasta salads with seafood, this is your wake-up call.
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Jump to:
- Ingredients in This Old Bay Shrimp Macaroni Salad
- Why You'll Love This Old Bay Shrimp Macaroni Salad
- How to Make Old Bay Shrimp Macaroni Salad
- Substitutions for Old Bay Shrimp Macaroni Salad
- Variations on This Old Bay Macaroni Salad
- Equipment You'll Need
- How to Store Old Bay Shrimp Macaroni Salad
- Top Tip
- More from Whisk & Wine
- More Easy Seafood and Summer Sides
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Reviews
Ingredients in This Old Bay Shrimp Macaroni Salad
Eight pantry-friendly ingredients and one bottle of Old Bay. See the recipe card for exact quantities.
- Shrimp - peeled and deveined, fresh or thawed
- Elbow macaroni - the classic pasta salad shape
- Old Bay seasoning - half goes in the cooking water, half goes in the dressing
- Mayonnaise - for richness
- Sour cream - adds tang and keeps the dressing from feeling heavy
- Whole milk - loosens the dressing so it coats every elbow
- Fresh lemon juice - wakes up the whole bowl - the sleeper ingredient
- Celery - diced small for the crunch
- Red bell pepper - diced small for sweetness and color
- Red onion - diced small for sharp bite
Why You'll Love This Old Bay Shrimp Macaroni Salad
- Old Bay all the way through. The pasta and shrimp both cook in seasoned water, so flavor goes past the dressing and into the noodle itself.
- One pot, no second pan to wash. Shrimp poach, then the pasta cooks in the same water. The kitchen stays calm.
- Better the next day. Make it the night before. The flavors marry, the celery stays crisp, the bowl wins the potluck.
- Crowd-friendly and crowd-tested. Feeds 8 easily. Doubles for a cookout without changing the ratios.
- High-protein optional. Swap the mayo and sour cream for Greek yogurt and it eats like a meal.
How to Make Old Bay Shrimp Macaroni Salad
Six steps, one pot, and dinner-side-dish status in under 30 minutes of active work. The hardest part is waiting for the bowl to chill.
Season the Water
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Stir in 2 tablespoons of Old Bay seasoning.
Poach the Shrimp
Add the shrimp to the seasoned water and poach for 2 to 3 minutes, until they curl and turn opaque. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate to cool.
Cook the Pasta
Add the elbow macaroni to the same Old Bay water. Cook per package directions until al dente, then drain.
Build the Dressing
Add the pasta back to the pot and add the mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, the remaining 2½ tablespoons of Old Bay, and the juice of 2 lemons back to the pot. Fold in the diced celery, red bell pepper, and red onion. I like to mix it in the same pot so it looks nice when I spoon it into the serving bowl.
Chop the Shrimp
Once the shrimp are cool to the touch, small-dice them and add them to the bowl with the dressing and vegetables.
Toss and Chill
Add the cooled pasta. Toss until every elbow is coated. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving - overnight is even better. Taste before serving and add another squeeze of lemon if it needs brightening.
Substitutions for Old Bay Shrimp Macaroni Salad
Most of this recipe is flexible - here's how to swap without losing the soul of the salad.
- Greek yogurt for mayo and sour cream. Use 1 cup of plain whole-milk Greek yogurt. The salad gets tangier and significantly higher in protein.
- Different pasta shape. I love using Ditalini for this recipe, but any small pasta will work. Cavatappi, medium shells, or rotini all work. Stick with small shapes that hold the dressing.
- Frozen cooked shrimp. Thaw under cold water, skip the poach, chop, and fold in at the end. You'll lose the seasoned-water trick - bump the Old Bay in the dressing to 3 tablespoons.
- Plant-based milk. Unsweetened plain works fine; oat milk loosens the dressing without changing the flavor much.
- Lump crab instead of shrimp. Skip the poach, fold in 1 pound of picked-over lump crab at the end.
Variations on This Old Bay Macaroni Salad
Same base, five ways to make it yours.
- High-Protein Greek Yogurt Version. Sub the mayo and sour cream for 1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt. Same creaminess, double the protein.
- Spicy Old Bay Salad. Add ½ teaspoon cayenne to the dressing or a few dashes of hot sauce. Don't say I didn't warn you.
- Shrimp + Crab Combo. Cut the shrimp to 1 pound and fold in 8 ounces of lump crab at the end. Practically a crab boil in a bowl.
- Smoky and Loaded. Add ½ cup crumbled crispy bacon and a tablespoon of fresh chopped dill. Brunch-meets-cookout.
- Make It a Main. Bump the shrimp to 2 pounds, serve over a bed of arugula or butter lettuce, and call it lunch.
Equipment You'll Need
Five tools, all non-toxic, with a premium and a budget pick for each. Every Amazon link is an affiliate shortlink generated through SiteStripe.
- All-Clad 8-Quart Stainless Stockpot - Premium - the one I reach for whenever I'm boiling pasta and poaching shrimp in the same water. Heats evenly, no coating to scratch.
- Tramontina Tri-Ply Stockpot - Budget - tri-ply construction at a third of the price. Lives in my cabinet next to the All-Clad and gets used just as often.
- OXO Stainless Slotted Spoon - long handle to fish shrimp out of a deep pot without scalding my wrist. Worth every penny.
- Anchor Hocking 4-Quart Glass Bowl - doubles as the mixing vessel and the serving dish. Non-toxic glass, dishwasher safe, one bowl less to wash.
- Misen 8-Inch Chef's Knife - what I use to small-dice everything. Sharp enough to cut clean celery rings without crushing them.
- Microplane Zester - optional but recommended. Adds a teaspoon of fresh lemon zest along with the juice for a brighter bowl.
How to Store Old Bay Shrimp Macaroni Salad
Cooked shrimp and creamy dressings have a short window - here's how to keep this bowl food-safe and tasting fresh.
- Refrigerator. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Stir before serving to redistribute the dressing.
- Make-ahead. Build the salad up to 24 hours in advance. The Old Bay deepens and the celery stays snappy.
- Freezer. Don't freeze it. Mayonnaise-based dressings separate and the pasta texture turns grainy when thawed.
- If the dressing thickens. Whisk in a tablespoon of milk or a squeeze of lemon juice to loosen it back up.
- At a cookout. Keep the bowl on ice. Food-safety rule: no more than 2 hours at room temp (1 hour if it's above 90°F outside).
Top Tip
Don't skip seasoning the pasta water with Old Bay. Most macaroni salads taste flat because the pasta itself is bland and the dressing has to do all the work. When the shrimp and the elbows both cook in seasoned water, flavor goes into every bite - not just the surface.
Yes - and it's actually better the next day. The Old Bay deepens, the dressing settles into the pasta, and the celery stays crisp. Give it a stir before serving and add a squeeze of fresh lemon if it needs brightening.
Medium or large shrimp (31/40 or 26/30 count), peeled and deveined, raw or thawed from frozen. Pre-cooked shrimp works in a pinch - skip the poach, chop, and fold in at the end, but bump the Old Bay in the dressing to 3 tablespoons to make up for the seasoned-water step.
Up to 3 days in an airtight container. After that, the shrimp and the mayo-based dressing both start to lose quality. Don't freeze leftovers - the dressing breaks and the pasta texture suffers.
Absolutely. Skip the shrimp and the first poaching step, and just cook the pasta in Old Bay-seasoned water. You'll still get a full-flavored salad. Or substitute lump crab, leftover grilled chicken, or canned tuna depending on what you have.
More from Whisk & Wine
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More Easy Seafood and Summer Sides
Cookout sides and seafood mains that share a plate with shrimp macaroni salad beautifully.
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📖 Recipe
Old Bay Shrimp Macaroni Salad
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
A creamy, lemony, one-pot pasta salad where the shrimp and elbow macaroni both cook in seasoned Old Bay water. The cookout side that disappears first.
Ingredients
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Stir in 2 tablespoons of Old Bay seasoning.
- Add the shrimp and poach for 2 to 3 minutes, until pink and opaque. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool.
- Add the elbow macaroni to the same Old Bay water. Cook to al dente per package directions. Drain.
- While the pasta cooks, whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, the remaining 2½ tablespoons of Old Bay, and the juice of 2 lemons in a large serving bowl.
- Fold the diced celery, red bell pepper, and red onion into the dressing.
- Small-dice the cooled shrimp and add them to the bowl.
- Add the drained pasta. Toss until every elbow is coated.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving (overnight is even better). Taste and add another squeeze of lemon if needed.
Notes
- High-protein swap: Replace the mayo and sour cream with 1 cup of plain whole-milk Greek yogurt for a tangier, higher-protein version.
- Make-ahead tip: This salad tastes better after 24 hours in the fridge. Build it the night before your cookout.
- Food safety: Keep on ice at outdoor gatherings. No more than 2 hours at room temperature (1 hour if above 90°F).
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: American
Erica Morrone says
The pasta salad is crack! Lunch, dinner…heck even breakfast!!!