GARY'S SEAFOOD SALAD

When I made the first batch of seafood salad, trying to clone Gary's, I thought it was pretty good. So good, I didn't care any more about getting Gary's recipe. But then, I don't eat at Gary's and I've never really had this salad served to me. I've only seen and tasted the leftover salad that Guy brings home. Guy wanted to get Gary's recipe. So, last week, when he ate lunch at Gary's again, he asked the waitress for it, and she gave it to him. Problem is, there are no measurements for any of the ingredients. But at least we had something to start with. Frankly, I prefer my recipe. First off, my ingredients are more healthful, but secondly, I just liked mine better. Guy, however, likes this one, although he wanted more mayo. So I added a tad more mayo in the recipe below. You can play with amounts any way you want. This is a good recipe; and if you don't care that it's full-fat mayo and that there's added sugar, go for it. BTW, I made the mistake of cutting the shrimp up in this salad. Leave them whole and use half as a garnish.

Gary's Seafood Salad
Rating: 9 out of 10
1-1/2 cups medium or large shell pasta, uncooked (Gary uses large; I used medium)
1/2 cup Duke's mayonnaise
1-1/2 tsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
big pinch black pepper
3 Tbsp. finely grated carrots
2 Tbsp. minced red onion
1/4 cup minced celery
2 Tbsp. freshly chopped dill weed, no stems
1 heaping cup crabmeat of your choice (Gary uses Snow Crab legs; I used blue claws)
1 heaping cup cooked shrimp (local or wild caught)

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain; cool.
Combine next 7 ingredients for sauce. (You can put these in a food processor to get the sauce smooth, if you want. Gently fold in dill weed, crabmeat and half the shrimp. Chill to blend flavors, at least 1 hour. Serve with remaining shrimp as garnish. Yield: 3-4 servings