Shrimp and Macaroni Salad

What a great, relaxing, wonderful weekend this has been! I hope all of y'all had a great one too - and maybe even an extra day off of work tomorrow??

The fireworks display last night for the 4th was just simply beautiful.

For awhile there, I wondered if it was gonna be a complete wash-out due to the fact that it was literally pouring rain most of the afternoon. A couple hours before they were due to fire them off, all the bad weather headed west, the skies cleared and there was a gorgeous sunset. It was an absolutely beautiful night.

I tell you what ... there is nothing like having a front row seat right on the water to watch those colorful explosions of light.

I thought that Biloxi put on an excellent show - bigger and even longer than any of us expected - especially with the economy and all of the budget cuts going on across the country. I read of some towns that had to totally forgo their fireworks displays altogether and that is sad.

So Dad, who I think was as excited as the rest of us about going, had not only brought the standard chips and fried chicken with all the fixin's, he also prepared this huge pot of large, plump, and nicely spiced hot boiled shrimp for us to munch on. Mom said he was out using the boiler in the pouring rain, and, true to form, Mom was doling out all of the leftover food at the dock when we got back in. The Hubs and I were the fortunate recipients of the shrimp, yay!

Have I mentioned how much I love my in-laws??

I have been having a craving for some shrimp and macaroni salad here lately, so I knew right away exactly where at least some of those shrimp were gonna go!


Now, this is a simple, unpretentious macaroni salad that relies on the shrimp to be the central figure, though I've included some suggested stir-ins that I have used before - depending on my mood at the time. Sometimes though, simple is just perfect.


Down here along the coastline, we generally use shrimp that has been cooked from raw and is highly seasoned. Here's my my boil mix I promised to post. If you are using frozen, pre-cooked shrimp, you'll want to taste the salad at the end and make any adjustments needed to boost the seasonings for the salad. Enjoy!!

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Shrimp and Macaroni Salad
From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

1/2 pound of elbow macaroni
6 ounces of cooked shrimp, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon of Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama)
1/2 teaspoon of lemon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 small onion, grated
Olive oil
1/2 cup of mayonnaise, more or less
2 to 3 fresh tomatoes, chopped, optional (NOTE: Add
   just before serving, not any earlier)
Optional Add-ins: Chopped boiled eggs, chopped celery,
  chopped fresh green or red bell pepper

Boil the pasta according to package directions. Drain, rinse well, and set aside to dry.

Transfer pasta to a serving dish or storage container and add the chopped shrimp. Sprinkle with Old Bay, Cajun seasoning, lemon pepper and garlic salt and stir to mix. Add the grated onion and mix again. Drizzle in olive oil (just enough to lightly coat), stir in the mayo and any optional add-ins, stir to mix well; cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Just before serving stir in or garnish each serving with chopped tomato, if desired.

Variation:  When fresh tomatoes are out of season and not at their best, use a well drained can of diced tomatoes in place of fresh tomatoes. Can also use Rotel.

Source:  http://www.deepsouthdish.com

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