Seafood Pasta with Lemon-Saffron Herb Dressing
A luxurious pasta salad featuring campanelle pasta tossed with shrimp and Dungeness crab in a creamy lemon-saffron dressing. Fresh herbs like tarragon and dill complement the seafood, while arugula and butter lettuce add a crisp finishing touch.
Ingredients
- •12 ounces campanelle (trumpet-shaped pasta) or macaroni
- •⅛ teaspoon crushed saffron threads
- •7 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
- •6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- •½ cup mayonnaise
- •½ cup sour cream
- •¼ cup thinly sliced green onions
- •2 tablespoons drained capers
- •2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon plus sprigs for garnish
- •1 tablespoon minced fresh dill plus sprigs for garnish
- •1 teaspoon sugar
- •1 pound cooked medium shrimp
- •1 cup finely chopped celery
- •½ pound Dungeness crabmeat
- •2 handfuls arugula
- •2 heads butter lettuce
- •1 serving lemon wedges
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Place 3 tablespoons hot cooking liquid in medium bowl. Sprinkle saffron over and let stand at room temperature 5 minutes. Transfer pasta to large bowl. Drizzle pasta with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon oil; toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature until cool, stirring occasionally.
20 min
- 2.
Add mayonnaise, sour cream, green onions, capers, minced tarragon, minced dill, sugar, remaining 6 tablespoons lemon juice, and remaining 5 tablespoons oil to bowl with saffron liquid. Whisk to combine. Season saffron dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Pour dressing over pasta. Add shrimp and celery; toss to coat. Add reserved pasta cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if mixture is dry. Add crab; toss gently. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.
10 min
- 3.
Line platter with arugula and butter lettuce leaves. Spoon pasta over greens. Garnish with lemon wedges and tarragon and dill sprigs. Serve cold.
5 min
