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This Crab Salad recipe is not only easy, it’s versatile. It is the perfect base to make crab dip, crab macaroni salad, crab salad sandwiches, and MORE!
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The BEST Crab Salad
This is how we would make crab salad at the restaurant I worked at in Hawaii and it was always a favorite! I love making this crab salad as a quick snack or an easy lunch. You can either have it plain, as a crab dip, as crab macaroni salad, as a crab salad sandwich, or any of the other possibilities below. I have had it all the different ways and I honestly can’t pick a favorite.
When serving plain, you can serve on lettuce leaves or individual glass dishes (Martini glasses are pretty if you want to be fancy with it). You can easily dress this recipe up or down, depending on what you are serving. Add some fresh parsley as a garnish to dress it up and add some color.
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 we use in our crab salad recipe:
- 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 is my good to brand.
- 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 variation ideas 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.
Easy Crab Salad in 4 Simple Steps
- 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. Toss thoroughly to evenly distribute flavors.
- Dress the Salad: Stir in mayonnaise and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Fully coat the crab mixture with the dressing. Adjust the amount of mayonnaise and lemon, if preferred.
- Serve or Store: Your crab salad is ready! Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve.
Ways to Serve Crab Salad
Cold Crab Salad Dip
I LOVE crab salad as a dip. Check out our Cold Crab Dip recipe for a great way to enjoy crab salad as a dip. If you are making it as a dip, you will want to chop the crab up into smaller pieces (so it can fit on a cracker). One really easy way to do this is to chop the crab in a food processor or blender. We like serving it with club crackers or Ritz crackers. We also like using the whole-grain “Food Should Taste Good” chips that you can get at Costco.
Crab Pasta Salad
Our Crab Pasta Salad recipe is a spin on regular crab salad. The pasta bulks up the dish to make it go further and serve a crowd. This is a great side dish for potlucks or neighborhood BBQs. It is also a great side-dish for simple weeknight meals to serve along with sandwiches, wraps, or burgers.
Crab Salad Sandwiches
Crab Salad Sandwiches are a great alternative to tuna sandwiches. I love serving the crab salad on Hawaiian rolls because they are so soft and slightly sweet. You can also serve your crab salad on a hoagie roll, hero roll, or even on a croissant. These are great for quick lunches, snacks, or even as appetizers.
How to Make Crab Salad
Crab Salad
Video
Equipment
- Food Processor (this makes chopping crab much faster)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds crab meat (or imitation crab meat)
- 2 stalks celery
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2/3 cup Best Foods mayonnaise (or Hellmann's)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- fresh dill optional, to taste
Instructions
- Break imitation crab meat into small pieces with hands, or coarsely chop with a knife. You can also coarsely chop in a blender or food processor.
- Finely chop the celery. This gives the crab salad a little crunch, but not too much. Toss crab, celery, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl.
- Stir in mayonnaise and lemon until crab is evenly coated.
- Serve as-is, or in a lettuce cup, or with crackers for dipping.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Storing Leftover Crab Salad
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to five days. Because mayonnaise is used in this recipe, freezing crab salad isn’t recommended. It just won’t taste good after it thaws.
Neptune Crab Salad
Simply put, Neptune salad is another term for “crab salad”. Some may argue that Neptune salad is more complex than a simple crab salad, and more of a “seafood salad”. Others may say that any kind of crab salad qualifies as “Neptune salad”. It really depends on what region of the country you are in. If you want to make a more complex crab salad (or “Neptune Salad”), make the recipe above and then add any or all of the following:
- Hard boiled egg, sliced
- Peas
- Pickles, sweet or dill, chopped
- Shredded carrot, to taste
- Green onions
- Red onion, chopped
- Old Bay seasoning, to taste
- Paprika, to taste
You can serve Neptune salad tossed with spiral pasta, or it can be served on a bed of lettuce.
More Popular Ways to Use this Crab Salad Recipe
Cucumber Crab Boat: A low-calorie, high-protein option is to serve your crab salad in a cucumber boat! Peel the cucumbers, cut lengthwise, and scoop out the center. Place the crab down the middle and top with sriracha, spicy mayo, and furikake or sesame seeds. You will be surprised how by much flavor there is in these little boats!
Crab Stuffed Avocado: For another low-carb option, you can serve your crab salad stuffed in an avocado. Halve an avocado, remove the seed, and place the crab in the hole where the seed was. Add a little salt and pepper for flavor and enjoy!
Crab Salad Lettuce Wraps: Use large lettuce leaves, such as iceberg or butter lettuce, as a wrap. Fill them with crab salad, and you have low-carb, crunchy lettuce wraps.
Crab Salad Sushi Roll: Create your own sushi roll by placing a thin layer of crab salad on a sheet of seaweed, add avocado, cucumber, and sushi rice, then roll it up for a homemade sushi treat. Get tips on rolling sushi in our California Roll recipe.
Crab Salad Sushi Bowls: Create sushi bowls by serving crab salad over cooked sushi rice, then add avocado, cucumber, and other desired toppings.
More Seafood Recipes
Can’t get enough crab and seafood? Try some of these other delicious seafood salad recipes:
I made it for my husband; we both enjoyed it. I bought some expensive “langostino” (not “linguini) and added it to salad since i didn’t use real crab (used the fake crab). I also added dill dry flakes since we both like it in our salads.
So glad you liked it! Love the idea of using langostino. I haven’t tried that before but now I am intrigued!
I made the crab salad sandwich. I used real crab. It was a little pricey but will become an occasional treat.
I love crab so much in a roll i make the same recipe as you but i use cranberries also very Good thanks
This is a great recipe, I always fix this with celery or Dill Relish, and elbow Macaroni. Sometimes add a couple sp
Great recipe! I want to try this with fresh broccoli florets next time. This is easy to make ahead of time for family gatherings. I got the idea of broccoli florets from a popular buffet here in Hawaii. They make something similar to this but with broccoli florets. It’s one of my favorite things on their buffet line. Thank you!
Such an easy to make and delicious tasting recipe. Great for a picnic, sandwich buffet, luncheon or a midnight snack.
I’ve had a rendition of this before. Wonderful light salad. Can’t wait to try this version
I read this in bed and tomorrow I’m going to Trader Joe’s to buy linguine to add with the fake crab and I will give it to husband but we’ll share. Yum!
A great spring or summer luncheon dish, I use half mayo and half plain yogurt. Experiment with adding lemon, herbs de provence or even a dash of savory pickle juice.
Oooh I love all those ideas! If you find a winning combination that you love, please come back and let us know!
This was a hit at my family gathering
Great for a summer lunch or dinner as it is light and has a crunch.This is not hard to make. The hardest part is chopping celery and onion.
Easy
This is one of my favorite things, soo good!