My recipe is somewhat different from yours, but I think it's better made a day in advance.

One thing I do when adding shrimp to a dish like this -- after boiling and peeling, I put them in a ziplock bag or Tupperware container lined with paper towels and refrigerate for a couple of hours before adding to the other ingredients. Even though I drain the shrimp well first, the towels are usually pretty damp, so it does seem to help avoid that watery problem.

sm

No...it will get watery....the dressing will draw the moisture out of the veggies.
But what I do is mix the dressing with the pasta, shrimp, crab....and cut up the onions, celery and peppers and put them into a plastic bag and toss them with the rest of the stuff about 2 hours before serving.
Linda C

Once again, I think as Linda does. Except I would keep the pasta separate also. It tends to soak up dressing and get flabby if left too long.

As a matter of fact, I would prefer to cook the pasta shortly before assembling the rest. It's a small task, much quicker than the rest of the prep.

Jim

I like the pasta after it soaks up some of the dressing...I under cook it a bit to allow for thet....and if there are no veggies in it, there is no water ( just the vinegar in the dressing) to make it soggy.
Depends on how much of a rush you are in. Cooking pasta means washing a pot!
Linda the Lazy!

Linda,

We agree about pasta absorbing dressing. We just have different aims.

Undercooking the pasta is one solution, if the right degree of cooking can be achieved. I think it will also need an addition of moisture the next day.

Maybe a compromise would work well. Put in half the dressing the night before and the rest before serving.

Jim

You could just put some roe in a jar of Hellmann's for next year. Now that's startin early.

Ok actual helpful advice...

I just keep my dressing separate from my salad until an hour or two ahead. With coleslaw I only add half the slaw and add the other half right before serving for extra crunch. In your case I would add the seafood to the dressing 2 hrs ahead and the lettuce just before service.

Thanks everyone.

Gosh, I hated that I had apparently given you some bad advice, so I dug out my seafood pasta recipes to see if there was any mention of timing or if I'd just dreamed up the part about mixing ahead (and not even noticed that they were soggy!) There are 3 that I sort of rotate during the spring and summer -- 1 with shrimp, 1 with crab and 1 that calls for both.

The first one said "Mix and refrigerate a minimum of two hours, preferably overnight." Another said, "The longer this sits in the fridge, the better it tastes." The third one just said to "chill", but I'm positive I've made it ahead of time with no problems.

So now I'm thoroughly confused. Could the difference be in the type dressing used? Or in the specific vegetables included? Hope somebody can solve the mystery...

sm

The difference is in the vegetables....Shrimp in the dressing works well....but onions, celery, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms all get very limp and watery when left in a dressing that has vinegar or salt in it....and that's pretty well all dressings.
Haven't you ever had left over tuna or chicken salad that has celery in it and it's watery in the bottom of the bowl? That's what happens.
Linda C

Sm,

I said on to "helpful advice" only because *I* had made a flippant response in the prior sentence. It had no bearing whatsoever on your advice. I apologize if my misplaced comment made you question your input.

I think alot of salads improve as flavors meld and items absorb flavor(s). But softer produce can degrade in a sauce in short order so the prudent choice is to add it late.

Steelmagnolia,
Don't feel bad. By the time others had replied, I had already made the salad and it was in the fridge. I tested some just a bit ago and its not in the least bit soggy. In fact, its getting tastier!
I only used celery, and some green pepper and green onion, and I don't think they are going to give up too much water. Plus, the bow tie pasta was a little too al dente, so maybe that is helping......but I think its going to be just fine.......so please don't worry. In fact, I'll write back after we eat it tomorrow afternoon and let you know how it was. I think, like you said, it will just get better being in the fridge overnight.

No need to apologize, sands. I totally knew that you were referring to your own facetious comment, not mine. My reading skills are much more advanced than my cooking skills, I promise. :) But thank you for being concerned that you not hurt feelings unintentionally. The nature of the internet is such that it can really cause some awful misunderstandings...

Linda, what you're saying certainly makes sense *in theory*. I guess what I'm saying, though, is that I haven't found it to make a significant difference *in practice*. For instance, is there ever liquid in the bottom of the bowl of leftover tuna/chicken salad? Yep. If there's a good bit, I drain it off; if just a little, I mix it in. Either way, I've never thought it tasted waterlogged or that the texture was compromised. Another example is our very favorite pasta salad. No seafood in that one. Just pasta, raw veggies (including most of the ones you listed above, like cucumbers and tomatoes and onions), seasonings and an Italian dressing-style marinade. The original recipe calls for it to be refrigerated for 24 hours before serving. I actually like to hold it for 48 hours, because that's when the flavor is at its' peak. In theory, it should be so mushy and watery by then that nobody would want it. In practice, it actually holds up well for another day or two before the texture of the vegetables finally starts to deteriorate.

Maybe y'all are more sensitive to the watery thing than we are. Maybe every pasta salad is different in this respect. Whatever the case, I'm gonna stick to my method this time, guys. lol But I do want to add that it's a pleasure to have a (civil) debate with people who are so knowledgeable and experienced. In the short time I've been hanging around this forum, I've learned an incredible amount. Thanks for sharing!

sm

LOL!!
Steel, Hon....when you invite me over for pasta salad....remind me to bring my own, un marinated stuff! lOL!
And I when you come to my house...please remind me to make the salad a day ahead! LOL!
That's what makes the world go around!
Linda C

Yep...different strokes. :)

sm

Hi all,
Thought I'd write a "post mortem" about the pasta....hahaha
There wasn't a lick of fluid. In fact, the salad was very dry. I think the mayo in it while it was in the fridge really firmed it up. Anyhow....steelmagnolia, you and I must have the same recipe, because it was totally dry........and very tastey!

Thanks so much for letting me know it was good!

sm (heaves big sigh of relief....)