Creamy Shrimp Pasta Salad with Pickapeppa Sauce
If you’ve ever needed a make-ahead dish for a summer potluck, a creamy shrimp pasta salad is the kind of bowl that empties first. This chilled salad tosses tender vermicelli, sweet bay shrimp, and chopped hard-boiled eggs in a mayonnaise dressing built around tangy-sweet Pickapeppa sauce. The Jamaican pepper sauce gives the dressing a distinctive tropical flavor you won’t get from a standard pasta salad. It comes together in under 20 minutes of hands-on time and tastes even better the next day, so you can make it well ahead of your gathering.
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This shrimp pasta salad is built for make-ahead entertaining. Vermicelli, bay shrimp, and hard-boiled eggs get tossed in a creamy dressing, then chilled for a full day so every strand of pasta soaks up the flavor.
What sets it apart from a typical mayo-based pasta salad is Pickapeppa sauce, a Jamaican condiment with a tangy, slightly sweet, fruit-forward flavor. It replaces the usual mustard or vinegar base with something you won’t find in most pasta salad recipes.
What makes this cold shrimp salad so good?
The secret to this pasta salad’s success lies in the unique combination of the Jamaican Pickapeppa sauce with creamy mayonnaise, creating a distinctive flavor profile that sets it apart from standard pasta salads. As these flavors meld with the sweet shrimp and tender pasta overnight, each component absorbs the creamy dressing, resulting in a harmonious dish that’s greater than the sum of its parts.
Ingredients
To make creamy shrimp pasta salad with mayo, you’ll need:
- Vermicelli pasta – Creates a delicate base that absorbs the flavorful sauce
- Green onions – Adds a mild, fresh onion flavor and bright color contrast
- Pickapeppa Sauce – Provides a unique, tangy-sweet tropical flavor profile essential to the dish
- Bay shrimp – Offers sweet, tender protein that pairs perfectly with the sauce
- Hard-boiled eggs – Create richness and additional protein
- Light mayonnaise – Forms the creamy base of the dressing
- Salt and pepper – Balances and enhances all flavors
Ingredient Notes
- Bay shrimp are small and usually sold frozen and precooked in the freezer section. Larger, fully cooked shrimp work fine too; just chop them into bite-size pieces.
- Pickapeppa sauce is typically shelved near the steak sauces at the grocery store. Order it online if your store doesn’t carry it, since it’s essential to this dish’s flavor.
How to make shrimp spaghetti salad
This salad is so simple to make. Here are the steps for cold shrimp pasta with mayo::
- Boil the vermicelli according to the package directions.
- While the vermicelli is cooking, chop the hard-boiled eggs into medium dice. Slice the green onions into eight-inch pieces on the bias.
- Place the cooked pasta in a colander and run it under cold water. Set the colander in the sink to keep draining.
- Transfer the pasta to a large bowl after it is completely drained.
- Toss the pasta with the green onions.
- Add Pickapeppa Sauce, shrimp, eggs, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper.
- Lightly toss or stir to combine.
- Cover the pasta mixture with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for 24 hours before serving to allow the flavors to meld.
What to with spaghetti salad with shrimp
Serve this flavorful and substantial shrimp salad as a main course, accompanied by a lightly dressed green salad. Alternatively, you can make it a filling side dish.
This recipe pairs well with any grilled meat, especially a thick Bourbon Street Steak or smoked steak.
Storage and make-ahead instructions
- Do Not Freeze: Not recommended for freezing, as texture will deteriorate
- Refrigeration: Store in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days
- Food Safety: Do not leave at room temperature for extended periods due to the mayonnaise and shrimp
- Serving: Best served cold or slightly cool, not at room temperature
Love shrimp? Try these recipes
- Batter Fried Shrimp
- Bubba Gump Shrimp
- Cajun Shrimp and Grits
- Chicken & Shrimp Carbonara
- Easy Shrimp Casserole
- Garlic Shrimp Pasta
- Killer Shrimp
- Red Lobster Shrimp Scampi
- Shrimp Nachos
- Shrimp Tempura
Favorite Cold Pasta Salad Recipes
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Creamy Shrimp Pasta Salad with Pickapeppa Sauce
Ingredients
- 6 ounces vermicelli pasta
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
- 4 teaspoons Pickapeppa Sauce
- 1 pound cooked bay shrimp
- 3 hard-cooked eggs chopped
- 1 cup light mayonnaise
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the vermicelli according to the package directions.
- Drain the pasta in a colander and rinse under cold water until cool.
- Transfer the cooled pasta to a large bowl and toss with the green onions.
- Add the Pickapeppa sauce, bay shrimp, chopped hard-boiled eggs, light mayonnaise, salt, and pepper.
- Lightly toss to combine, being careful not to break up the shrimp or eggs.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours before serving to let the flavors meld.
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This is fantastic!
Several kinds. Which one?
Are you asking about what type of steak sauce?
What is pickapeppa sauce and where can it be found ?
This is a type of pepper sauce, it is sweet, so it isn’t quite like a hot pepper sauce. Many grocery stores sell it. Here is a link to their website https://www.pickapeppa.com/
you can find it at walmart by the steak sauces. i pour it over a block of cream cheese and spread it on crackers or with scoop corn chips as an appetizer.