Shrimp Orzo Salad

A light and tasty pasta salad that would wow anyone, including yourself. Great for serving at parties! 

The first time I tasted orzo was at Aracama's first anniversary. They served it with Gambas Ajillo and the moment it was in my mouth, I fell in love with it's unique texture and flavor. I have seen orzo in some cooking shows but I never bothered with it since you can't easily find it locally. But the great news is it's now available at Rustan's supermarket under the brand Waitrose. This British brand came into the scene very recently I noticed just summer of this year. They have other great products too like grains and liquer essences. If you could get your hands on some orzo, try to make this... you might just enjoy it!

yummy orzo with shrimp, kesong puti, calamansi juice, tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, onions and scallions.

Aracama's version. Ummm.... mine's better! hahaha!

Ingredients

• Orzo
• Shrimp
• Scallions/spring onions
• Red onion
• Calamansi
• Cucumber
• Tomato
• Kesong puti
• Parsley
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper to taste

Waitrose brand available in Rustan's supermarket

1. Cook orzo pasta in boiling water as instructed. Packaging says 7 minutes but 4-5 minutes is good if you're serving is small (2-3 persons). Add salt and a squirt of olive oil to the water to keep orzo from sticking to one another. Cook w/ lid off and stir occasionally. Make sure pasta is AL DENTE - nobody likes overcooked, mushy and soft pasta.

2. Drain the orzo completely and transfer to a mixing bowl and immediately drizzle with olive oil. Enough to keep the pasta from sticking together. Squeeze calamansi juice over the pasta, again enough to add a citrus and zing (I used 10pcs of calamansi). Season with salt & pepper and using a fork, mix gently.

3. On a pan, saute shrimps with a little olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Toss in 1/2 of the chopped scallions and 1/2 diced red onion. Keep the rest of the onion and scallions fresh to combine later with the orzo. Note: If you find the taste of fresh onions overpowering, just add the whole lot of onions while cooking the shrimp.

4. Toss everything with the orzo - cooked shrimps with scallions and onions, the rest of the fresh scallions and onions, diced tomatoes and cucumber, diced kesong puti and chopped parsley.

5. Adjust the taste - if it needs a bit of salt, pepper, more calamansi juice, etc. There are no exact measurements. Always measure with your senses.

Tip: You can refrigerate this since this is a dish best served cold. The longer it sits in the ref, the better the flavors will turn out.

load the toppings on the orzo, toss gently with a fork