Crab Salad – fresh and simple crab salad with chunks of celery in a tangy spicy mayo coating. A great salad for summer lunch or dinner and also as an appetizer. Can be served in so many ways!
Let me start off that this crab salad is nowhere near compared to those store-bought with barely-there crab meat. This one here is LOADED with chunks of crab meat to your heart’s content.
I had the hankering for some crab salad after we got back from our Hawaiian trip. As we all know, Hawaii is not just a great spot for beaches but also for good food. I was in a seafood kick while staying there and I couldn’t help but remake some of my favorite grab during that fun-filled vacation.
This is how I got my first tasty crab salad — on avocado cups!
Okay, some of you may find the crab and mayonnaise combo weird. But hey, wait till you taste it! It’s just like that of tuna salad and even chicken salad. Protein and mayo are a perfect combination. 😉
Trust me, you’d want to make a big batch of this crab salad here. And it even taste good the next day!
As for whether I use the real crab meat vs the imitation crab meat in this salad, I use the imitation crab meat this time as they are readily available in the grocery. It taste great!
Imitation crab meat are actually made of grounded white fish binded with a starch that’s why you might have crossed path with this dish sometimes called as seafood salad. You can read more about the difference between the imitation and the real crab meat HERE.
Either way, you’d fall in love with the fresh, vibrant flavors in this easy crab salad recipe. Here are the different ways on how you can enjoy crab salad:
- You can serve it on a bed of lettuce as a side dish
- Top it on avocado cups as an appetizer
- Stuff it on hoagie rolls or baguettes as a quick lunch
- Or pair it with some crackers as a snack or party appetizer.
I simply love how versatile is this salad!
Don’t tell me you’re not convinced yet! I could go on and on how delicious and versatile this salad here. Want more texture in this salad? Add some diced cucumber and tomatoes. Or sprinkle some raisins if you want for some fruity touch. You won’t believe how many ways you could doll up and serve this crab salad dish.
Happy crabbing…errr…eating!! 😉
Tips and Notes:
- Refrigerate an hour before serving.
- You can add more mayonnaise if you want juicier salad texture.
- You can also add diced cucumber if you want more crunch in every bite of this salad and even hard boiled eggs. It’s a forgiving salad – adjust it to your preference.
- If you are not into mayo, you may try replacing it with plain Greek yogurt or even sour cream. You just have to season it up more since mayo gives this salad a pretty nice flavor.
Crab Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound imitation crab meat
- ¼ cup fine diced onion
- 1-2 green onion finely diced
- 1/2 cup celery minced
- ⅓ -½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½-1 teaspoon creole/ cajun seasoning
- ½ lemon
- freshly ground pepper to taste and salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dill
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together crab, onions , green onions and celery.
- In a smaller bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, mustard, creole seasoning and lemon juice. Let it chill until ready to use.
- Next add the mayonnaise mixture to the bowl of crab mixture, mix until the crab and mayonnaise have been thoroughly combined. Season with salt and pepper.
- Garnish with dill and serve on a baguette with lettuce, avocados and / or crackers. The choice is yours.
Nutrition Information:
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K.D. says
That celery is finely diced, NOT minced. Possibly 1/4 inch from the pic. Minced is much, much finer. If you want to add some extra crunch to this, a few water chestnuts (also finely diced).
Bob says
Evidence suggests that a member of my household does not tolerate imitation crab. It wasn’t pretty, let me tell you. Would canned crab also work? Any adjustments to the recipe if using canned crab? Any precautions? Thanks, Imma.
K.D. says
This is just me. If you can’t use the Surimi (Krab). just buy 2-3 snow crab legs. If you ask the guy at the fish section in your grocery grocery for them, they normally are happy to oblige. If you ask nicely, they might even throw in the knuckles, there is a LOT of meat in them and few want to take to work to pick them out. Tell them you don’t need the claw, that is the most expensive part and in demand. In most of the U.S. they come in previously frozen and fully cooked. Canned crab is stupidly expensive, about $7/3oz (drained) and tastes horrible! Crab should NEVER LOOK GREY!
imma africanbites says
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, KD!
Feroza says
Hi… what u mean by celery minced?? Like grounded fine or diced
ImmaculateBites says
Hi, Finely diced .
Lallie Pillay says
As usual my dear
You share beautiful easy recipes
imma africanbites says
Thank you so much!