This delicious Crab Salad Recipe combines imitation crab meat, diced onion, and celery in a creamy mayonnaise dressing. Super easy to make, serve it over a bed of lettuce, scooped onto buttery crackers, or piled between your favorite sandwich roll.
Easy Crab Salad
Creamy crab salad made with imitation crab meat (or, yes, real crab meat) is absolutely delicious—I don’t care what anyone says. Perfectly tangy and salty with just the right amount of crunch, it’s incredibly difficult to resist shoving spoonfuls into your mouth once you’ve had a taste.
At least this was my experience.
You see, I didn’t grow up eating creamy seafood salads. My parents knew how to make a solid potato salad or the occasional pasta salad, but it wasn’t until later that I learned about crab salad. I can’t believe what I was missing out on all those years!
This salad is made with imitation crab meat, but you can substitute real lump crab meat if that’s more your style.
What is Imitation Crab (Krab)?
Imitation crab is made of surimi – fish flesh (typically pollock) that is washed and deboned to remove anything unwanted and then chopped and turned into a paste. This paste is then mixed with other ingredients, heated, and molded into shapes like sticks and flakes. Highly processed, imitation crab typically contains no crab, but it is made from seafood and is made to taste like crab.
How to Make Crab Salad
- Combine the crab meat, red onion, celery, and chives in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayo, sour cream, fresh lemon juice, dijon mustard, Old Bay seasoning, salt, and black pepper.
- Combine the creamy dressing with the crab and veggies – gently mix to combine, then season with additional salt and black pepper to taste.
Is Imitation Crab Salad Keto?
Crab salads made with imitation crab are not considered keto. This is because imitation crab meat is highly processed and is not keto-friendly. If you are following a strict keto diet, I recommend swapping the imitation crab for real lump crab meat instead.
Recipe Tips
- Imitation Crab Shape: You can use imitation crab flakes or sticks, it doesn’t really matter. For this recipe, I used one package of each.
- Substitutions: Feel free to use low-fat mayonnaise and/or substitute Greek yogurt for the sour cream.
- Optional Additions: Add other veggies and herbs like green onions, fresh dill, chopped bell pepper, or cucumbers. You can even add some small cooked shrimp to make it a seafood salad!
- Storage: This recipe is best enjoyed within 2 days. Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Freezing is not recommended.
How to Serve Imitation Crab Salad
One of the best ways to enjoy this easy recipe is by making it into a crab salad sandwich. Use your favorite sandwich bread, rolls, or hamburger buns and pile on with crisp lettuce and juicy tomatoes. Other delicious options ways to enjoy this crab salad include,
- On a Bed of Greens: Serve on top of a pile of mixed greens, arugula, or arugula with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
- With Crackers: The easiest way to enjoy this salad unless you choose to eat it by the spoonful.
- For Breakfast: Try adding a couple of spoonfuls to avocado toast or use it in place of the Canadian bacon in Eggs Benedict.
- With Pasta: Mix it into cooked and cooled pasta for the perfect creamy pasta salad.
More Salad Recipes
- Grinder Salad
- Caesar Salad Recipe
- Avocado Egg Salad
- Ham Salad Recipe
- Taco Salad Recipe
- Chinese Chicken Salad Recipe
If you try making this Imitation Crab Salad Recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.
RECIPE CARD
Crab Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 24 ounces imitation crab meat - flaked style or sticks, chopped
- ½ red onion - diced
- 1 stalk celery - diced
- 2 tablespoons chives - chopped, plus more for serving
- ¾ cup mayonnaise - full-fat or low-fat
- ¼ cup sour cream - or plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- salt + pepper - to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the imitation crab meat, red onion, celery, and chives.
- In a separate mixing bowl mix together the mayo, sour cream, fresh lemon juice, dijon mustard, Old Bay seasoning, salt, and black pepper.
- Pour the creamy mayo dressing over the crab and gently mix to combine. Season with additional salt and black pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container and keep stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Jessica’s Notes
- This recipe can also be made with real lump crab meat.
- Keep leftovers stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Best enjoyed within 2 days.
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
I see some people added Dill…. such as dill relish or the dill seasoning? How much did you add? Thank you for the assistance. ๐
I’m glad you’re interested in tweaking the crab salad recipe! Adding dill can definitely enhance the flavor. If you’re considering using dill, you could try either dill relish or dried dill weed, depending on your preference for texture and intensity of flavor.
For dill relish, start with about 1 tablespoon and adjust to your taste; it will add a nice tangy note. If you prefer using dried dill seasoning, I recommend starting with 1 teaspoon and then adjusting if you’d like more of that distinctive dill flavor. Both options blend beautifully with the crab and other ingredients in the salad. Enjoy your culinary creation!