SEAFOOD PASTA SALAD

Saturday night we had Snow Crab Legs for dinner. I love how easy they are to prepare. Just put the thawed crab legs in a pan; sprinkle with Old Bay seasoning lightly; add about 1/4 cup of water to the pan; cover completely with tinfoil and bake at 400F for about 10-15 minutes, or till everything is steaming. The crab legs are already precooked, so all you are doing is heating them up. Serve them with melted Smart Balance mixed with freshly squeezed lemon juice. We had a mixed green salad and garlic bread as accompaniments. There were two clusters of crab legs left over, so on Sunday, I made a crab pasta salad with the leftovers. This is my own recipe, and one that gets rave reviews here. You can make it with half shrimp, half crab, all shrimp or all crab.

I know people who won't even try Snow Crab Legs because they say they don't know how to open them to get the meat out. But it's really not hard. You'll need a serrated knife, nutcracker and pick. The claws are best opened with a nutcracker. But the legs are best opened with a serrated knife. Using a sawing motion, cut about midway through one leg section, but only cut the shell -- don't cut all the way through. Holding the leg with one hand on each end, bend it until the shell breaks. Slowly pull the shell off to expose the meat. Any meat that gets stuck in the shell can be removed with the pick.
The two crab clusters yielded enough crabmeat to make this salad for Guy with some left over to sprinkle on a tossed salad for me.

Seafood Pasta Salad
Source: Judy's Kitchen
Rating: 9 out of 10

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup medium shell pasta, uncooked
1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 oz. Neufchatel cheese, softened
1/4 cup lite mayonnaise (I used Duke's Lite)
1/4 tsp. mustard
1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
pinch of sea salt
dash of black pepper
1/4 cup finely grated carrots
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. fat-free half and half
1 cup seafood (any combination of crab and/or and shrimp)

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water per package directions; drain; cool slightly; toss with the EVOO; set aside to cool completely.
In medium bowl, combine cheese, mayo and mustard, mixing till well combined. Add lemon juice, salt, pepper, carrots, celery, onions, parsley and half and half and mix well. Stir in seafood and pasta. Refrigerate. Yield: 2-4 servings