Ina Garten-Inspired Shrimp and Orzo Salad
Pasta salads that taste bland with a puddle of dressing underneath were dressed at the wrong temperature.
Hot pasta absorbs; cold pasta repels. The starch on the surface of freshly drained orzo is open and takes on liquid readily, so a vinaigrette poured over it while it steams goes into the grains and seasons them right through. Once the orzo has cooled, the starch has set into a slick surface and the same dressing runs off and collects at the bottom.
Dress it hot, then dress it again lightly before serving. The first lot has disappeared into the pasta by then, and that is the point.
Jump to the recipe ↓Ina Garten-Inspired Shrimp and Orzo Salad
Serves 8 · Salad
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 1 hr
Moderate11 ingredients, a technique that commonly fails
Ingredients
- 400 g orzo
- 700 g raw shrimp, peeled
- 150 ml olive oil
- 80 ml lemon juice, plus zest of 2
- 2 tsp kosher salt, black pepper
- 1 cucumber, deseeded and diced
- 200 g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- 200 g feta, cubed
- large handful dill, chopped
- handful mint, chopped
Method
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Toss the shrimp with a little oil and salt and roast. Cool on the pan.8 minutes
- Boil the orzo in well-salted water to just al dente. Drain, do not rinse.
- Spread it on a tray and pour over half the oil and lemon while it is still steaming. Toss.
- Whisk the remaining oil, lemon, zest, salt and pepper into a dressing.
- Once the orzo is at room temperature, fold in the vegetables, feta, herbs and shrimp.
- Dress again lightly, taste, and adjust the salt and lemon.
Cool it on a tray, not in a colander
Orzo left in a heap keeps cooking under its own heat and glues together. Spread it out on a large tray in a thin layer and it stops cooking almost immediately and stays in separate grains. Do not rinse it — that washes off the starch you want the dressing to cling to.
Roast the shrimp
The same principle as any shrimp dish: boiling leaches flavour into water you discard, roasting concentrates it. Eight minutes at 200°C, cooled on the pan, and they hold their texture in a salad far better than boiled ones.
Season it again just before it goes out
Cold food needs more salt and more acid than warm food to taste the same — the receptors are simply less responsive. A salad that tasted right an hour ago in a warm kitchen will taste flat straight from the fridge. Check it at the last moment, every time.
Storing
Three days. The orzo keeps absorbing, so expect to loosen it with a little more oil and lemon. Add the herbs and feta fresh if you are making it well ahead.
Questions people ask
Why dress the pasta while it is hot?
Warm starch absorbs the dressing. Cold starch sheds it.
Should I rinse the orzo?
No. Rinsing removes the surface starch the dressing needs to cling to. Spread it on a tray to cool instead.
Can I make it a day ahead?
Yes, holding back the herbs and some dressing. It needs re-seasoning before serving.
Can I use cooked shrimp?
You can, but they will be softer. Roasting raw shrimp gives a much better texture in a cold salad.
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