Mediterranean Shrimp Orzo Salad

This Mediterranean shrimp orzo salad is tossed with feta, Kalamata olives, and a simple olive oil and lemon dressing, and it tastes wonderful either cold or at room temperature.

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I love, love orzo. It makes a ton when you cook it, and it makes you sort of feel like a kid when you eat it. It’s also one of the most versatile pastas around: It’s great for hot and cold pasta recipes and is tailor-made as an addition to soups. I can’t even resist the little square boxes it comes in, and I could probably eat it three times a week–at least.

This Mediterranean shrimp orzo salad is a perfect example of what this adorable pasta can do for a recipe. It’s hearty enough to hold its shape but small enough not to overwhelm the pile of deliciousness tossed with it. We have feta, Kalamata olives, scallions, juicy shrimp, and a simple “dressing” of olive oil and lemon. It screams “summer dish,” but there’s really no wrong time of year to eat it.

The best thing about this recipe is that you can make everything hours before you’re ready to serve it. But even if you want to assemble it right before you eat it, you can still cook the shrimp and prep most of the ingredients ahead of time (cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives, etc.), and cook the pasta and prepare the dressing later. Whatever you decide, it’s hard to mess up this easy yet scrumptious Mediterranean shrimp orzo salad!

Shopping List

• Orzo
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Kalamata Olives
• Feta
• Scallions
• Fresh Basil
• Italian Flat-Leaf Parsley
• Raw Shrimp
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Lemons

Pro Tips

Hold back the feta if making beforehand: If you’re not planning on serving this orzo immediately, add the feta right before you do so that the Kalamata olives don’t potentially “stain” the feta purple.

Bring to room temperature: If you make this orzo and store it in the fridge before serving it, let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes first. It’s delicious cold, but removing the chill will help “resurrect” its flavors.

Add more freshly squeezed lemon juice: This recipe calls for 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice, but you may want to add more after tossing the salad and tasting it. You may also want to add a bit more salt, freshly ground black pepper, and olive oil to taste.

Suggestions for Variations and Substitutions

• Use pre-cooked shrimp if you don’t want to prepare/cook it yourself.
• Use grape tomatoes or any ones you like.
• Replace the Kalamata olives with any olives you like. You can even use the ones straight from the can!
• Toss in some capers and sun-dried tomatoes you may have on hand for even more flavor and color.
• Omit the shrimp for a vegetarian version of this recipe.

Leftovers

Store in an airtight container for up to two days. I recommend bringing it to room temperature for about 15 minutes to help bring out the flavors. Make sure to stir it well before serving, and you can re-moisten it with a fresh pouring of more olive oil and lemon juice.

Check out these other delicious shrimp recipes:

• Pasta with shrimp, chorizo, and arugula
• Ginger-scallion noodles with shrimp
• Shrimp and garlic-shallot rice