Mediterranean Crab Pasta Salad

Mediterranean Crab Pasta Salad, featuring a Pomegranate vinaigrette, delightful crab flesh, chili peppers, and pistachios, nestled within shell pasta.

The Ideal Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Raised in a home influenced by Mediterranean culture, yet right here in the crab capital of Maryland, I simply had to merge the two for a delightful summer gathering.

Blue Crabs are only available during the warm months, making this crab salad a perfect highlight for my two M’s (Mediterranean and Maryland) during summer meals!

Crabs, Crabs, and More Crabs!

The Chesapeake Bay in Maryland boasts some of the largest, sweetest crabs you can find.

Our beloved family waterman (fourth generation), Captain Alan Poore, treats our family with crabs in the summer and oysters during winter.

Featuring my Maryland Crab Cakes on Food Network’s Guy’s Grocery Games allowed me to present a dish that was a part of my upbringing nationally.

Additionally, my newly crafted Mac and Cheese Crab Rolls, showcased on Food Network’s Clash of the Grandmas (episode 2), are certainly worth boasting about!

I aimed to create something lighter and nutritious, utilizing this exquisite crab meat for everyday, home-cooked meals.

This recipe just came together naturally!

Fusing My Mediterranean Heritage With Maryland Cooking Ingredients

The sweet yet aromatic Pomegranate Dressing, paired with the citrus flavor of sumac, provided a nice contrast to the sweet flesh of the crabs.

Incorporate the crunch of pistachios along with fresh pea shoots and shredded carrots, and you have a remarkably healthy, yet flavorful salad.

We are fortunate to live in an era where ingredients from all over the globe are accessible, regardless of where we reside.

Pomegranate was previously only accessible during the winter months in America.

Now, with pomegranate juice available throughout the year, Mediterranean dishes have become possible all year round as well.

The Enhanced Pasta Salad

Pasta salad became popular during my upbringing in the 60s.

It often drowned in mayonnaise, which was certainly not something I enjoyed.

A nutritious crab salad, both lively and slightly spicy, is what I envisioned to be packed into pasta shells for easy serving.

Certainly not a pasta salad saturated in dressing, but rather one that allows each flavor to stand out.

I’d be thrilled to know your thoughts on this salad, especially if you too grew up with mayonnaise-based pasta salads!

Essential Ingredients

• Crab flesh
• Pistachios
• Red chili pepper flakes
• Pomegranate seeds
• Peas
  • Sprouts
  • Carrots
  • Chives
  • Giant Pasta Shells
  • Pomegranate Sumac Dressing

  Required Equipment

  • Mixing bowl
  • Chopping board
  • Cutting knife
  • Stirring spoon
  • Teaspoon
  • Box grater or vegetable peeler – for shredding the carrots
  • Measuring cup
  • Measuring spoons
  • Stove or burner
  • 8 oz Crab meat
  • 1/2 cup Pistachios coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 tsp Red Chili Pepper
  • 1/4 cup Pomegranate Seeds
  • 1/2 cup Pea Shoots
  • 3/4 cup Carrots shredded and then diced into confetti
  • 1/4 cup Chives diced into confetti
  • 12 Giant Pasta Shells cooked
  • 1/4 cup Pomegranate Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Homemade

  • Coat shells with sufficient dressing to prevent sticking and to enhance the flavor before filling.

  • Carefully combine the crab, nuts, pomegranate seeds, shoots, carrots, and chives.

  • Incorporate enough dressing into the mixture without making it too moist. Delicately stuff the shells with the crab mixture.

  • Arrange whole pea shoots on a dish. Position the filled shells atop the shoots. Lightly drizzle some dressing over the dish, or a small amount of pomegranate molasses from the dressing recipe. Serve.

  I am all about the satisfaction of the senses, and thus I have developed a passion for capturing the stimuli for my senses through videography and photography. Food delivers some of the most captivating subjects to capture on film, and videography does what a still image cannot: it captures sound. When you hear something sizzling or pouring, your taste buds and sense of smell are already awakened.

  I hold the belief that the table… that space that brings people together, is the strongest symbol of unity. Everything that precedes the setting of the table, the planning, gathering, and preparation, are all integral parts of the choreography that create the atmosphere of celebration to be shared with friends and family.