Nothing says summer like my Shrimp Macaroni Salad! Plump shrimp, al dente pasta, bell peppers, celery, and green onion are tossed with a tangy brine and mayonnaise in this super simple salad that’s just perfect for cookouts, barbecues, and gatherings.

Large glass mixing bowl with shrimp macaroni salad.

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Summer Shrimp

When I think of summer shrimp dishes, I think of shrimp scampi rolls, fried shrimp, and this shrimp macaroni salad.

These are all dishes you can envision yourself eating outside with an ice-cold drink and maybe some Jimmy Buffett or Jack Johnson playing in the background. I make macaroni shrimp salad often in summer, especially when I want something a little more substantial than my deli-style macaroni salad, and it’s always a huge hit.

This one’s great to bring with you to gatherings, but it is also wonderful as a side dish to enjoy at home alongside anything from the grill.

Recipe Ingredients

All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.

Ingredients shown: lemon, bell pepper, sugar, celery, Old Bay seasoning, white pepper, salt, red onion, mayonnaise, macaroni, olive oil, and shrimp.

Pasta. I used cavatappi for this recipe, but I often use elbow macaroni as well. Farfalle would also be great.
Shrimp. Medium-sized shrimp that are peeled and deveined with their tails removed work best for shrimp macaroni salad. If using larger shrimp than this, you may wish to chop them into smaller pieces.
Veggies. I love the combination of celery, red onion, red bell pepper, and green onion (not pictured) for this dish because it provides a variety of flavor, texture, and color.
The brine. Similar to my tuna macaroni salad, I’m using a brine for this recipe. The brine is a combination of lemon juice, water, sugar, neutral oil (ie., avocado oil), Old Bay Seasoning, sea salt, and white pepper.
Mayo. I’m using Hellmann’s mayonnaise, but you can use any mayo you’d like.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

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How to make summer shrimp and macaroni salad

Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta to al dente. Drain the pasta with a spider or slotted spoon, reserving the boiling water in the pot. Run the pasta under cold water to cool it off and halt the cooking process. Prepare a bowl of ice water, then add the shrimp to the boiling water and cook for 1-2 minutes or just until they turn slightly opaque. Drain the shrimp and immediately shock them in the ice water bath. Once the shrimp are cold, drain, and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, water, sugar, oil, Old Bay, sea salt, and white pepper.

Recipe process shot collage showing cooking and shocking the shrimp, mixing the brine, adding the macaroni and shrimp to the brine, and mixing the mayo and green onion into the salad.

Whisk the brine again and add the pasta, shrimp, red onion, bell pepper, and celery and toss well to coat. Place the bowl in fridge overnight to let the flavors absorb into the pasta.
The next day, add the mayo and green onion and mix well. If you prefer a creamier consistency, add more mayo. Taste test and season with salt and pepper if needed.

Top tip

You can definitely make shrimp macaroni salad the same day, but my number one tip for outstanding flavor in dishes like this one, my deli potato salad, deli coleslaw, and many other deli recipes is to let the brine sit with the ingredients overnight. The flavors will be more intense and so much better. I usually start the shrimp mac salad at night, brine overnight, then toss with the mayo shortly before I plan to serve the salad.

More summer shrimp recipes

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