Crab salad is a light and refreshing dish that is perfect for summer. It can be served as a snack, appetizer, or light meal. Crab salad is easy to make at home and can be customized in so many ways. In this article, I will provide tips on how to make crab salad along with several recipe variations.
What You Need to Make Crab Salad
Crab salad starts with a base of crab meat You can use either imitation crab meat or fresh crab meat. Imitation crab is more affordable while fresh crab will provide the best flavor. Other basic ingredients needed are
- Mayonnaise or salad dressing – Gives crab salad a creamy texture
- Celery – Provides crunch
- Onion or shallots (optional) – Adds flavor
- Lemon juice – Brightens up the flavors
- Dill, parsley or tarragon – Fresh herbs give it flavor
- Salt and pepper – For seasoning
Some other add-ins you can include are:
- Hard boiled egg
- Sweet pickles or relish
- Peeled and deveined shrimp
- Celery seed or Old Bay seasoning
- Dijon mustard
- Hot sauce
The ingredients can be combined in a large bowl and then chilled in the refrigerator, allowing time for the flavors to blend. Now let’s get into the steps and methods for making crab salad.
How to Prepare Crab Meat
If using fresh crab meat, make sure to pick through it carefully to remove any bits of shell or cartilage. Use your hands to gently break imitation crab into small pieces. You can also use a knife to chop it up but go easy so you don’t turn it into mush. For a finer texture, pulse the crab meat a few times in a food processor.
Pro Tip To easily remove shell fragments from fresh crab, use a bowl of water. Dip the crab meat in the water and swirl it around. The shells will float to the top while the meat sinks.
Making the Crab Salad
Here are two simple methods for combining the ingredients:
Toss Together
-
In a large bowl add your chopped crab meat.
-
Next toss in the chopped celery, optional onion, and any other veggies.
-
Add in mayonnaise or salad dressing a few tablespoons at a time until desired consistency is reached.
-
Season with lemon juice, herbs, salt, and pepper.
-
Gently mix everything together until fully combined.
-
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving to allow flavors to blend.
Fold Together
-
In a medium bowl, stir together the mayonnaise or salad dressing, lemon juice, and seasonings.
-
Add this mixture to the chopped crab meat.
-
Fold the ingredients together gently until combined. Do not overmix.
-
Fold in any additional veggies like celery or onion.
-
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Serving Suggestions
Crab salad can be served scooped onto lettuce leaves, stuffed into tomatoes or avocados, or enjoyed open faced on crackers or bread. Here are some serving ideas:
- Crackers or toast points for appetizers
- Lettuce wraps or endive leaves
- Hollowed out tomatoes or cucumbers
- Avocado halves
- Croissants or sandwich bread
- Wonton wrappers baked into crispy cups
- Pasta or potato salad
- Stuffed into bell peppers
- With sliced fruit for a snack
Chilling the crab salad allows time for the flavors to meld together. Try to make it at least 2 hours in advance but preferably the day before you plan to serve it.
Tips for Storing Leftover Crab Salad
Place leftover crab salad in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. Consume within 3-4 days for best quality and freshness. The flavors in crab salad are best when it is freshly made. Crab salad does not freeze well due to the mayonnaise.
Easy Crab Salad Recipes
Here are 3 easy and tasty crab salad recipes to try:
Classic Crab Salad
- 1 lb imitation crab, chopped
- 1 rib celery, diced
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
Mix ingredients together in a bowl until combined. Chill for 2 hours before serving for best flavor.
Mexican Crab Salad
- 1 lb imitation crab, chopped
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1/2 cup corn kernels
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- Salt and pepper
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and gently toss to coat. Serve chilled.
Curry Crab Salad
- 1 lb imitation crab, chopped
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tsp curry powder
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 2 tbsp chopped celery
- Salt and pepper
Whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice and curry powder. Fold in remaining ingredients. Chill for 1-2 hours before serving.
The Best Imitation Crab Salad Recipe
Hubby has refined this imitation crab recipe to the point that he is happy with it (and so am I!) This is one of my very favorites of his recipes. I hope you enjoy this imitation crab salad recipe too.
This recipe has a lot of ingredients, but it is an easy recipe to make. This great side dish imitation crab salad can also be placed inside a hoagie roll to make imitation crab salad sandwiches for lunch or dinner, or served on a bed of lettuce or in a lettuce wrap! This keeps for a day or two, so if you serve it as a dinner side one night, it makes for an easy lunch the next day.
Crab salad is a classic dish, but crab can be quite pricey. Imitation crab is quite reasonably priced in comparison. It is a different product though than the real thing as it is a man-made product. While fresh seafood tastes best, in my opinion, for the price difference, this imitation crab salad cannot be beaten.
Some of my favorite recipes you might enjoy:
● If you are wondering what my favorite “Hubby recipe” is, it is this outstanding Chicken Salad Recipe. In my opinion, it is his best recipe ever, and that is really saying something as my husband is an excellent cook. ● Hot Crab Dip ● Red, white, and blue Potato salad recipe.
Tips and variations for making this Imitation Crab Salad Recipe:
● It does not matter if you use imitation crab sticks or imitation crab lumps. The crab sticks are easier to shred, however. ● The recipe below uses ½ cup of mayo with 1 pound of shredded imitation crab salad. After a lot of experimenting, Hubby has decided that shredding (on a grater) is the way to go when making this salad. It is easier than chopping. ● If you chop your imitation crab (which we have done in the past on this recipe), you may want to cut down the mayonnaise to 1/3 of a cup. When you chop the imitation crab, cut it, then cut it again. ● In the same vein, if you like a “wetter” salad or creamy salads, simply add more mayonnaise than required in this recipe. ● You could use real crab meat in the recipe. However real crab is not sweet as this artificial crab is. Keep that in mind. ● Look for made-in-the-USA imitation crab (we found it at PriceRite and Walmart). ● If you do not have green onions, scallions will work. You may want to consider red onion or white onion, although I do not think either fit the recipe as well as the green onion. ● Hubby made a double batch of this imitation crab salad recipe recently. He decided to use the shred attachment on the food processor. As fast as he could load the imitation crab into the shoot it shredded. (He was THRILLED!) If you are making a double batch, you may want to consider this time-saver. Yes, you could do it with a single batch, but I am not sure how much time you’d save when you consider setting up the food processor blades + clean up. ● This recipe is made with simple ingredients commonly found at your local grocery store.
Imitation Crab Salad Ingredients:
● 1lb Imitation Crab Meat, shredded ● ¼ cup Celery ● 3 Green Onions ● 1 tsp Old Bay ● 1 tsp Dijon Mustard ● ½ cup Mayonnaise ● ¼ cup Sour Cream ● 2 TBSP Tartar Sauce ● 1½ tsp Horseradish Sauce ● 1 tsp Mrs. Dash ● 4 dashes of Hot Sauce ● 1 pinch of Garlic Powder ● ¼ tsp Black Pepper
Best Imitation Crab Salad Recipe
FAQ
What are the ingredients of a crab salad?
- medium lemon.
- 2 tablespoons. finely chopped chives.
- 1/4 cup. mayonnaise.
- 1/2 teaspoon. Old Bay seasoning.
- 1 pound. jumbo lump crab meat.
- Kosher salt.
- Freshly ground black pepper.
- Serving options: lettuce leaves, halved avocados, or buttered, toasted hot dog buns.
What kind of dressing do you put on a crab salad?
Creamy Dressing: A blend of mayonnaise, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, paprika, salt, and pepper is what makes this crab salad so delicious. You could even use old bay seasoning to kick it up a notch. And I highly recommend making mayo with this homemade mayonnaise recipe.
How do you shred imitation crab for crab salad?
here’s my hack on the easiest. way to make shreds. imitation crab me. and this is the only way my family. will eat it. you gotta press on it to loosen it up. and then unroll it like a fruit. roll up. and then just run your knife through it.
How do you make a crab salad sandwich?
Stir together celery, mayonnaise, black pepper, parsley, and kosher salt in a large bowl until well combined. Fold in crabmeat until combined. Scoop crabmeat mixture evenly onto bottom halves of rolls, and sprinkle crabmeat with additional black pepper. Cover with top halves of rolls.
How do you make crab salad?
Place your crab, celery, red onion, Old Bay seasoning, lemon juice, salt, pepper, mayo and dill in a bowl. Stir everything gently until it well combined. Garnish with additional fresh dill. Serve immediately, or place the salad in the refrigerator for later use.
What can I put in a crab salad?
Creamy Dressing: A blend of mayonnaise, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, paprika, salt, and pepper is what makes this crab salad so delicious. You could even use old bay seasoning to kick it up a notch. And I highly recommend making mayo with this homemade mayonnaise recipe.
What is easy creamy crab salad?
Easy creamy crab salad is made with real lump crab, fresh chopped crunchy celery and onion, and a creamy mayonnaise-based sauce to bring it all together. It’s refreshing, delish, and so easy to put together! Crab salad is an American classic! There’s a reason why this seafood dish is so well-loved — it’s super yummy and oh, so versatile.
How do you make crab salad with imitation crab meat?
Prepare the Crab: Gently shred the imitation crab meat using your hands or coarsely chopping with a knife. Add Celery and Season: Finely chop celery to give the crab salad a refreshing crunch. Combine the prepared crab meat, chopped celery, salt, freshly ground pepper and any other optional seasonings you prefer in a large mixing bowl.
What is crab salad?
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy. Crab Salad is a simple mixture of delectable real lump crab meat and diced crunchy celery tossed in a creamy dressing of mayonnaise, a touch of Dijon mustard, fresh lemon juice, capers and fresh parsley.
How do you eat crab salad?
Crab salad is made with fresh crab or imitation crab, finely diced veggies and herbs in a mayonnaise and lemon based dressing. You can eat this salad as-is, or serve it in a variety of different presentations. Lettuce Wraps: Spoon your crab into a butter lettuce cup. Crackers: Serve your salad with a side of buttery crackers.