Tortellini Salad — The Only Cold Thing I Made All August

August in Baton Rouge. The devil's month. The air is 98 degrees and 95% humidity and breathing feels like drinking warm soup through a washcloth. The electricity bills are staggering — I know, because I'm an electrician, and I know what those AC units are pulling, and every time I see our bill I think about calling myself to come check the wiring, which is the most depressing recursive thought an electrician can have.

Work slowed a little this week, the way it does in deep summer. Nobody wants to start a renovation when it's this hot. The construction guys take shorter days. Even the concrete won't set right — too hot, cures too fast, cracks before it should. Louisiana in August is a state-wide argument against human habitation. And yet here we are. Here we've been since the boats from Nova Scotia. The Cajuns chose the swamp because nobody else wanted it, and we've been too stubborn to leave, and now we love it, because that's what happens when you stay somewhere long enough — the misery becomes identity becomes love.

School supply shopping happened this week. Danielle took the kids to Walmart and came back with bags of notebooks, folders, pencils, glue sticks, and the kind of determined expression that says "I survived Walmart in August with three children and I deserve a medal and a glass of wine." Luc is going into 5th grade — wait, no, I keep saying that. He finished 5th grade. He's going into 6th. Middle school. Lord help us. Colette is starting 3rd grade. Rémy starts pre-K. Well, he did pre-K last year. He's starting kindergarten. Four going on five. The years blur, cher. They move like the bayou — slow if you're watching, fast if you blink.

I made a cold shrimp salad on Tuesday because it was too hot to cook anything that required the stove, the oven, or even aggressive thinking. Boiled shrimp — the only boiling I'll do in August — tossed with celery, green onion, mayo, a squeeze of lemon, Old Bay (not traditional, I know, but I'm a rebel when the thermometer hits 100), served on a bed of lettuce. Danielle called it "refreshing." The kids called it "what is this." Rémy ate the shrimp and left the salad part, which is a fair compromise for a four-year-old.

Mama's air conditioning went out on Wednesday. She called me at 7 AM — "Tommy, il fait chaud" — and I drove to Thibodaux, diagnosed a dead compressor, ordered the part, and installed a window unit to hold her over. She sat in her chair in front of the window unit like she'd found an oasis in the desert. "This is the greatest invention," she said, as if she hadn't had central air for thirty years. I fixed the main unit on Saturday. Two trips to Thibodaux in one week, three hours of driving each time, but you don't leave your mama without AC in a Louisiana August. That's not a rule. That's survival.

Between the shrimp salad that actually got eaten (at least in part) and two round trips to Thibodaux in a Louisiana August, I wasn’t about to turn on the oven for anything. What I wanted was something cold, something filling, something that felt like a little more effort than throwing leftovers together — and that’s how the cold shrimp tortellini salad happened. It’s got the same bones as what I made for Danielle and the kids, but with tortellini in the mix it crosses the line from side dish to actual meal, which is exactly what you need when the heat index says 108 and your mama just called about her AC again.

Cold Shrimp Tortellini Salad

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 25 min (plus 30 min chill) | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (fresh or thawed from frozen)
• 1 (9 oz) package refrigerated cheese tortellini
• 3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (about half a lemon)
• 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning, plus more for the boiling water
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• Salt to taste
• Butter lettuce or romaine leaves, for serving

Instructions

1. Boil the shrimp. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil and add a generous shake of Old Bay. Add shrimp and cook 2—3 minutes, just until pink and curled. Do not overcook. Drain immediately and spread on a plate to cool. Once cool enough to handle, transfer to the refrigerator.
2. Cook the tortellini. In the same pot, cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain, rinse under cold water to stop cooking, and spread on a sheet pan to cool completely.
3. Make the dressing. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, Old Bay, Dijon, black pepper, and a pinch of salt until smooth.
4. Combine. Add the cooled shrimp, cooled tortellini, celery, and green onions to the bowl with the dressing. Toss gently until everything is evenly coated.
5. Chill. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving. The flavors come together better cold.
6. Serve. Spoon onto a bed of butter lettuce or romaine. Add an extra sprinkle of Old Bay on top if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t measure — and in August in Louisiana, you probably are.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 780mg