Shrimp & Dill Pasta Salad

I found this recipe about a year ago on foodiecrush and discovered that I misread the recipe. It called for sweet pickles and I must have had dill pickles on my mind, because that's how I made it and I loved it.  The dill pickles and juice add a nice "humm?" flavor that is surprisingly subtle.

My notes to you...

• always overcook the pasta by about 2 minutes when making a cold salad, when the pasta cools it will be the perfect texture.  Trust me :)
• even though salad shrimp are fully cooked. I always give them a quick cook and cool down.  I think it keeps them fresher longer. To cook - put about 3 inches of water in a med. pot and bring it to a boil; add the shrimp; stir; drain and rise with cold water.  Before adding it to the salad I squeeze out extra moisture with a paper towel.
• if your salad dries out, just mix together a little more mayonnaise with pickle juice and add it to your salad.
• add peas, bell peppers, olives, flat leaf parsley or even cucumber to this comforting salad to dress it up. 
• ***I added whole black olives that I cut in half and frozen peas to mine after I took the photo and it was delish.

Shrimp and Dill Pasta Salad

3 cups uncooked small or medium shell pasta

1 pound bay salad shrimp

2 ribs celery, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

3 – 4 dill pickle spears, chopped

3 hard boiled eggs, chopped

1 cup mayonnaise

3 – 4  tablespoons of pickle juice

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
black or green olives, sliced 

1. Cook the macaroni shells according to the package directions + 2 - 3 more min., drain and rinse with cold water, then let drain again. Add the pasta to a large bowl with the bay salad shrimp, celery, green onions, pickles, and boiled eggs. Add the mayonnaise to a small bowl and thin with the pickle juice a few tablespoons at a time or to taste. Dress the macaroni with the mayo dressing and season with kosher salt and pepper.

2. Make the salad ahead of time and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to 1 day before serving.