Leftover crab meat is a delicious ingredient that can be used in a variety of dishes. Whether you have some extra crab meat from a seafood feast or found a good deal on canned crab meat you may be wondering what to make with it. The good news is that crab meat is very versatile and can be used to make appetizers main dishes, salads, and more. Here are 9 delicious ways to use up leftover crab meat.
1. Crab Cakes
Crab cakes are a classic way to use up leftover crab meat. Simply mix together the crab meat with breadcrumbs, eggs, and seasonings like Old Bay seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, garlic powder, and parsley. Form the mixture into patties and pan fry until golden brown on both sides. Crab cakes are delicious on their own, in sandwiches, or served with a remoulade or aioli sauce.
2. Crab Salad
For a quick and easy salad, combine your leftover crab meat with mayonnaise, lemon juice, diced celery, minced onion, and parsley. Season to taste. Serve the crab salad over a bed of lettuce or stuff it into tomatoes or avocados. Crab salad also makes a tasty sandwich or wrap filling.
3. Crab Dip
Whip up a creamy and delicious crab dip by mixing together crab meat with cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and Parmesan. Bake until bubbly and serve with crackers or bread slices for dipping
4. Crab Fritters
Jazz up your leftover crab by making crab fritters. Combine crab meat with flour, eggs, parsley, diced peppers, and seasoning. Form into balls or patties and fry until golden brown. Serve with a remoulade or lemon aioli.
5. Crab Pizza
Adding crab meat is an easy way to create a seafood pizza. Simply spread pizza sauce over the crust, top with mozzarella cheese, and add the crab meat. You can also add other toppings like diced tomatoes, onion, pineapple, or spinach.
6. Crab Omelet
For a quick breakfast or lunch, make a crab omelet. Saute the crab meat briefly in butter or olive oil before adding beaten eggs. Cook the omelet as usual and garnish with parsley or chives before serving.
7. Crab Quiche
You can also bake crab meat into a quiche for a tasty brunch dish Make your favorite quiche recipe and add in chopped crab meat before baking Crab quiche also makes an impressive dish to serve at parties or potlucks,
8. Pasta with Crab
Transform leftover crab into an easy yet elegant pasta dish. Simply sauté some garlic in olive oil, add crab meat and seasonings, then mix with your favorite pasta and parsley. White wine, lemon juice, crushed red pepper, and Parmesan cheese can also be added.
9. Crab Toppings
Finally, one of the easiest ways to use leftover crab is to add it as a topping. You can top salads, baked potatoes, nachos, tacos, or flatbread pizzas with crab meat. Get creative with crab toppings on your favorite foods!
Leftover crab meat is such a versatile ingredient to have on hand. With endless possibilities for appetizers, main dishes, and more, you’ll enjoy finding new ways to savor every last bit. Next time you have extra crab leftover from a meal, try whipping up crab cakes, dip, pasta, or another delicious dish.
Classic Crab Salad Ingredients
Some people like to add all sorts of fancy stuff to their crab salad (onions, dill, chopped cucumber, cumin, dijon mustard, etc.) but, I like my crab salad SUPER simple. Not to say that the above mentioned add-ins are bad, they just alter the taste too much in my opinion. If you want to add any extras, feel free. As mentioned above, we would serve this in the restaurant I worked at in Hawaii and it was always a crowd favorite. Everyone wanted to know the secret to why it was so good, and really, there was no secret at all! It is the easiest, most simple crab salad recipe ever. Here’s what I use:
- Imitation crab meat (or real crab meat): Ironically, most crab salad (including this recipe) isn’t made from actual crab. Most crab salad is made from imitation crab meat (aka “krab meat” or “surimi”). It is more commonly found than actual crab meat and is much cheaper. Imitation crab meat is often found in California Rolls or simply eaten on its own as a snack.
- Celery: Celery adds a nice crunch to the salad. If you want the flavor without the crunch, add use celery seed seasoning.
- Mayonnaise: Best Foods Mayonnaise (aka Hellmann’s for you East Coasters) is my go-to brand. I have also had success with Duke’s and Kewpie mayo.
- Lemon Juice: This gives the dressing a little burst of citrus. Use fresh squeezed if you can.
- Seasonings: Fresh dill, salt, and pepper.
- Optional ingredients: onions, chopped cucumber, cumin, dijon mustard (see more add in options below).
Imitation Crab Meat vs Real Crab Meat
This is a huge debate. Of course if you make this with real crab it is going to taste the best. But have you noticed the price of real crab the past few years? It’s outrageous! It’s really up to you if you want to spend the extra money. We made this crab salad with fresh crab at the Oregon coast last year and it was absolutely delicious! It was just a little expensive. If you are looking for a cheaper alternative, imitation crab might be the best way to go.
NO MONEY for fancy crab cake? try THIS recipe at home! #shorts
FAQ
What do you do with already cooked crab?
- Uses for Leftover Jumbo Lump Crab Meat
- Crabcake Fettuccine with Mushrooms
- Crabcakes with Spicy Remoulade
- Crab, Corn, and Tomato Salad with Lemon-Basil Dressing
How long is leftover crab good for?
What to do with leftover crab meat healthy?
Make it a salad
It pairs well with apple and pomegranate, creating a healthy and light salad perfect throughout the summer. A cobb salad is another salad that can be adorned with the leftover crab for an extra layer of flavor and to bulk the salad to a full meal.
What else can you make with crab?
- 01 of 23. Crab and Shrimp Étouffée. …
- 02 of 23. Seafood Boil with Cajun Seasoning. …
- 03 of 23. Garlic Crab Pasta. …
- 04 of 23. Cioppino with Fennel and Saffron. …
- 05 of 23. Blue Crab Beignets. …
- 06 of 23. Crab Salad Sandwich. …
- 07 of 23. Crispy Crab Cakes with Tomato Butter. …
- 08 of 23. Cold Crab Spaghetti.