Shrimp Orzo Salad with Feta and Herbs

This simple Shrimp Orzo Salad with Feta and Herbs is perfect for lunch a light dinner or serve it as a side dish at your next barbecue! Loaded with flavor thanks to the fresh herbs, lemon vinaigrette and feta.

Another week another summer salad. Although, to be honest I’d eat this Shrimp Orzo Salad with Feta and Herbs any time of year. This salad is perfect for a fresh, light and easy to make dinner or if you meal prep, enjoy it for lunch all week. It would also be a great salad to bring to a Labor Day barbecue. Can you believe that’s only a couple weeks away?

Like I mentioned above this is a very easy salad to make and the only thing you have to cook is the orzo. For my gluten-free followers, swap the orzo with you favorite brand of gluten-free pasta, preferably a small sized shape such as elbows. I used frozen precooked peeled and deveined shrimp to save time. 

A Tip When Buying Shrimp

Buy frozen shrimp. They’re usually less expensive and often times fresher than what’s in the fresh seafood case. Unless you live right next to the ocean, the shrimp in the seafood case more than likely came from the frozen section and was defrosted. 

For this recipe and most of my recipes using shrimp, I like to buy jumbo (21/25 count) shrimp. I used this size for both these Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Salsa Verde and these Teriyaki Shrimp and Pineapple Skewers. They’re large enough that you get the meaty shrimp flavor without being overbearing like the colossal size can be. You  If you’re unfamiliar with shrimp sizes, here’s the breakdown. Using the count per pound versus the terms large, jumbo, etc. will give you a better idea of how many shrimp you can expect to get.

Shrimp Size and Count Per Pound

• Colossal = Less than 15 per pound
• Extra Jumbo = 16/20 per pound
• Jumbo = 21/25 per pound
• Extra Large = 26/30 per pound
• Large = 31/35 per pound
• Medium = 41/50 per pound
• Small = 51/60 per pound

For this shrimp orzo salad you can leave the shrimp whole or chop them into smaller chunks like I did. If you opt to buy a smaller sized shrimp such as a 41/50 count, I would probably just leave them whole. Now that we’ve covered the shrimp and orzo, let’s talk about all the fresh flavor from the vegetables, herbs and lemon dijon vinaigrette.

Crunchy cucumbers, sweet summer tomatoes and green onions are the veg that you’ll find in this pasta salad. The real star besides the feta of course, are the fresh herbs. Flat leaf parsley and fresh dill add so much flavor to the salad, don’t skimp on them and please use fresh. Dried herbs just don’t compare, especially in a salad like this. 

The lemon dijon vinaigrette rounds out the flavors of the salad. Lemon pairs perfectly with seafood and fresh herbs. To make the vinaigrette you’ll need fresh lemon juice, dijon mustard, olive oil, honey and of course salt and pepper. Please don’t use bottled lemon juice. That stuff doesn’t taste anything like fresh and who knows how long it’s been sitting on the shelf.

So there you have it, another simple and delicious summer salad to make before the end of summer. Or if you’re like me you’ll probably still be making it in December when it’s snowing outside. Enjoy!  

More Summer Salads

Summer Vegetable Orzo Salad

Summer Quinoa Salad

Peach, Tomato and Corn Panzanella

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Yield: 6-8 servings

Shrimp Orzo Salad with Feta and Herbs

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Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

Salad

• 1/2 pound uncooked orzo, substitute with gluten-free pasta if needed
• 1 pound cooked shrimp, peeled, deveined and cut into bite size pieces
• 1 1/2 cups diced english cucumber
• 1 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped flat leaft parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons honey
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cook the orzo according to package instructions. Drain and cool.
2. Once the orzo has cooled add in the remaining salad ingredients.
3. In a small jar or bowl combine the ingredients for the vinaigrette and shake or whisk together until combined. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

• To make this recipe gluten free, substitute the orzo with a small gluten free pasta shape such as elbows.
• Nutrition info based on 6 servings

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 314Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 171mgSodium: 907mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 25g