Shrimp and Mango Pasta Salad

Fresh, vibrant, and tasty, this shrimp and mango pasta salad would be an instant hit for any summer potluck, picnic, or gathering! A delicious option as an appetizer or light meal.

Have you tasted Philippine mangoes yet? Our local mangoes are considered one of the best, if not the best, in the whole world. Seriously.

If you go to any regular grocery stores that may carry dried mangoes, more often than not, that would be dried mangoes made from the Phillippines and not anywhere else.

While dried mangoes do not compare to the sweet and juicy, freshly harvested mangoes from Filipino farms, they at could at least give you a taste of how yummy these Philippine mangoes are especially if you cannot get the real thing! They are great for snacking, too!

It is not a surprise that the mango is the Philippines’ national fruit. Pretty much everyone in the Philippines grew up with a mango tree either in their backyard or in their neighbors.’

In both places I lived in while growing up on the island of Marinduque, we had at least one mango tree in our backyard which provided abundant and lush mango fruits during summer!

I remember harvesting these mangoes myself, thankfully not by having to climb up a huge tree but with the use of a long bamboo pole with a scythe at the end and a basket attached to it to catch the fruits being cut off from the tree. We would harvest a few pieces of mangoes to have as our afternoon snack!

I have so many fond memories like this as part of my childhood. Island living was truly the best!

Not only did we harvest the ripest and juiciest mangoes from our backyard, but another advantage for us was access to the freshest seafood available. Do you know why we know it’s fresh? Because it’s brought to our front door by fishermen right after they caught them! You can’t get any fresher than that.

So we got not just the freshest fish but tasty crustaceans as well, particularly shrimp! I love shrimp so much that if you ever got my cookbook RICE. NOODLES. YUM. (EVERYONE’S FAVORITE SOUTHEAST ASIAN DISHES) then you’d know that I have included many of my favorite shrimp dishes there from around Southeast Asia. By the way, the book is still available to purchase at Amazon.com.

So, when I decided to make this dish I thought I’d combine two of my favorite foods – mango and shrimp! Making a salad was my immediate option because I wanted a dish that would be quite easy to put together. It shouldn’t require too much cooking because it’s summer right now and no one wants to be tied down the stovetop or oven the entire day!

So this is certainly a delicious option for picnics, potlucks or any gatherings!

Best of all this salad can be made a day ahead! In fact, in my experience, it tasted even better after it was allowed to sit in the fridge for several hours. That way the pasta and shrimp has fully absorbed the flavors of the very tasty pesto and honey-lime dressing!

Make it soon!

Shrimp and Mango Pasta Salad

Manila Spoon

Fresh, vibrant, and tasty, this shrimp and mango pasta salad would be an instant hit for any potluck, picnic, or gathering! A delicious option as an appetizer or light meal.

5 from 8 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Main

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• 2 cups cooked orzo pasta
• ¼ cup pesto, homemade or storebought
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp honey, or to taste
• 1 lb jumbo prawns or shrimp, cooked
• 1 ripe mango, peeled and cubed (adjust amount to taste)
• 1 cup mini-multi colored tomatoes, sliced
• parmesan or feta cheese crumbles, for topping (optional)
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

 

• Cook the orzo according to package directions or until al dente. Rinse with cold water then drain. This will ensure they won’t continue cooking and become mushy.
• Combine the pesto, olive oil, lime juice, and honey. Set aside.
• Place the cooked pasta, shrimp, mango and tomatoes in a bowl. Mix with the pesto-lime dressing. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
• Sprinkle with crumbled feta or parmesan cheese, if desired.

Notes

TIPS & TRICKS

 

This can be made a day ahead. If you’re not serving right away simply leave the tomatoes and mango until the last minute so they retain their shape. This actually tastes even better the next day as the pasta has absorbed the flavors from the dressing more.

Keyword shrimp and mango noodle salad, Shrimp and Mango Pasta Salad, Shrimp and Mango Pasta Salad with pesto, shrimp and mango salad with mayonnaise

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Last updated on May 1st, 2024 at 09:28 pm