Shrimp Pasta Salad Recipe

Defrost frozen shrimp by placing them in a bowl of cold water. Keep chilled until used. You can easily double the pasta amount if you want to stretch the salad further. The salad is best the same day it is made, otherwise the basil is a bit wilt-y, and the pasta a bit sticky.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound bow-tie (farfalle) or orecchiette pasta, or other short pasta
Kosher salt
2 pounds small pink shrimp (also called Maine shrimp or boreal shrimp, comes already cooked)
1 diced red bell pepper
1 diced red onion
1 minced garlic clove
1 cup chopped basil leaves (loosely packed)
1/3 cup high-quality olive oil
1 teaspoon of lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon red chile flakes
Black pepper to taste

METHOD
1 Cook the pasta in well salted water (like sea water) until al dente, a bit firmer than you would normally eat. (The pasta will absorb some of the salad dressing and soften further after cooking.) Rinse the pasta in cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well and put into a large bowl.
2 Rinse the shrimp and drain well. Add them to the bowl and mix. Add the remaining ingredients and gently mix until well combined.

Serve chilled.
Serves 4 as a main course, 8 as an appetizer.