This Seafood Farfalle Fiesta Salad is a playful spin on Seefood and Bows, made with smoky chipotle shrimp, tender bowtie pasta, and mild poblano peppers for a fresh, colorful twist.
Mise en place
What is Seafood Farfalle Fiesta Pasta Salad?
When I first thought about making a variation of my own Seefood and Bows salad, I came across espagueti verde (green spaghetti) and decided to merge the two ideas. The bowtie pasta and seafood make it familiar, while the poblano peppers add a new layer of flavor inspired by Mexico’s green spaghetti.
This pasta salad takes its inspiration from espagueti verde, a Mexican dish where spaghetti is tossed in a creamy roasted poblano sauce. Poblanos may look like they bring heat, but they’re actually mild, slightly sweet, and deeply flavorful when roasted. Here, instead of coating spaghetti in sauce, I put together a chilled pasta salad with smoky chipotle shrimp, crisp vegetables, and farfalle pasta. The result is fresh, colorful, and picnic-ready, while still nodding to the comforting flavors of espagueti verde.
Why this method works
The pasta provides structure, the shrimp delivers smoky protein, and the poblano peppers add gentle depth without being overpowering. The sauce for espaqueti verde is usually Mexican creme or sour cream. Here, we using the same dressing we use for our ceviche, yogurt, mayonnaise, white pepper, and lime. Chilling the salad helps the chipotle flavor mellow and mingle with the creamy dressing and pasta. It makes a memorable salad.
Ingredient Notes
- Farfalle (bowtie pasta): holds the dressing beautifully and ties back to the “bows” in my original Seefood and Bows,
- This recipe calls for Aldi’s Fremont Fish Market Chipotle Sea Salt Shrimp Skewers, a big time-saver. They are seasonal and Aldi often runs out of them. If you can’t find them, you can use shrimp tossed in chipotle powder, lime juice, and olive oil.
- Poblano peppers: large, dark green chilies with mild heat and earthy sweetness. They are often mismarked in the supermarket as Pasilla. Instead of roasting them in your oven or having to stand over a hot stove, use your air fryer to roast the peppers. They come out perfectly every time.
Serving and Storing
Serving
The sea farfalle dressing is best made using a blender. Puree the poblanos in the blender then add the other dressing ingredients. This recipes makes a lot of salad, so if you think all of it not going to get eaten right away, serve the dressing separately.
Serve this salad with warm tortillas for those that want to wrap their salad. You could also add tortilla chips for crunch. Throw some roasted, salted pepitas in the salad, too, if you want.
Storing
Seafood Farfalle Fiesta Salad is best eaten within 2–3 days, stored in an airtight container in the fridge. If prepping ahead, keep shrimp separate and fold in before serving to preserve texture. Poblanos also keep their flavor better when added the day-of.
Answers to Questions
Q: I can’t find Aldi’s Chipotle Shrimp—what can I use instead?
A: Toss peeled shrimp with olive oil, lime juice, chipotle powder (or canned chipotles in adobo, finely minced), and a pinch of smoked paprika. Roast or sauté until cooked through and use just like the Aldi shrimp.
Q: Are poblano peppers spicy?
A: Poblanos are one of the mildest peppers—you’ll get more of a smoky, earthy flavor than heat. They’re a great intro pepper for people nervous about spice.
Q: Are Pasilla chilis the same as Poblano chilis?
A: United States and Canadian supermarkets often mislabel Poblano chilis as Pasilla chilis. They are quite different. The Pasilla is the dried form of the chilaca pepper, a long, thin dark green chili pepper native to central Mexico, and not often found fresh in the United States. The dried form of the Poblano chili is the Ancho.
Q: What is espagueti verde?
A: Espagueti verde is a traditional Mexican pasta dish made with spaghetti coated in a creamy roasted poblano sauce. Despite its vibrant green color, it’s mild, velvety, and comforting. This salad borrows its poblano inspiration from that dish but serves it up chilled for summer.
Q: Where does Seefood and Bows fit in?
A: Seefood and Bows is one of my own recipes—a pasta salad made with bowtie pasta and seafood. When I wanted to create a new variation, I merged that idea with espagueti verde for this fresh fiesta-style salad.
Q: Can I make this salad ahead of time?
A: Yes! It’s best chilled, so making it a few hours ahead is ideal. For the best texture, add the shrimp just before serving.
Q: Can I use a different pasta shape?
A: Absolutely. Fusilli or rotini work well, but bowties are traditional here and hold the dressing beautifully.
Q: Can I make this salad without seafood?
A: Yes, swap the shrimp for grilled chicken or even roasted chickpeas for a vegetarian version—the poblano and dressing will still shine.
Seafood Farfalle Fiesta Salad Recipe
Email Me the Recipe
Enter your email address and we will send it straight to your inbox.
Seafood Farfalle Fiesta Salad
Equipment
If you purchase any of the products through these affiliate links, I get a few pennies that help keep The Good Plate open. I use these products myself and want you to be able to easily find them.
Ingredients
~~ — Dressing — ~~
- 3 poblano peppers
- ½ cup yogurt, plain whole milk
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon white pepper, or to taste
- 1 lime, juiced
Assembly
- 16 ounces farfalle pasta, (bowties)
- ½ pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 8 ounces surimi, imitation crab meat flake style
- 2 tomatoes, diced Roma preferred
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- ½ cup Cotija cheese, grated (plus more for garnish)
Instructions
- Mise en place
Dressing
- 3 poblano peppersPut the peppers in the air fryer at 400 °F (204 °C) for 30 minutes or until they have flattened and charred. Immediately put them in a bowl and cover the bowl. The steam coming from the peppers will loosen the skin. When the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove the skin, stem, and seeds. Put the peppers in the refrigerator to cool.
- 1/2 cup yogurt, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 teaspoon white pepper, 1 limePut the chilled poblanos in a blender. Add the yogurt, mayonnaise, white pepper, and lime juice. Puree until there are no large chunks of pepper. Set the dressing aside.
Assembly
- 16 ounces farfalle pastaCook the pasta using the passive cooking method for 10 minutes. When the pasta has finished cooking drain it, and refrigerate it.
- 1/2 pound shrimp, 8 ounces surimiDefrost the shrimp in the refrigerator, not the counter or microwave. They should be defrosted by the time you want to make your salad.
- 2 tomatoes, 1/2 cup fresh cilantroCut the crab into bite size pieces. Chop the tomato and the cilantro. Pat the shrimp dry. If your cheese is not already grated, grate it now.
- 1/2 cup Cotija cheeseIn a large bowl, put the drained pasta, the tomatoes, shrimp, crab meat, fresh cilantro, and half of the cheese. Save the rest of the cheese for garish.
- If you are not sure if all the salad will be eaten, only put about half the dressing on the salad and put the remainder in the refrigerator or serve it separately.
- Toss the salad well.
- Chill: Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to let flavors meld.
- Just before serving, generously top the salad with the remaining cheese.
