Gloriously easy to make, cold crab salad is one of my favorite lunches. I like to stuff it in a tomato. It’s also great on a low carb English muffin.
One of my favorite lunches is some kind of a seafood salad stuffed inside a vegetable. Some of the recipes I make most often include tuna salad, salmon salad, and smoked salmon mousse, which is admittedly a bit more on the fancy side, but delicious and very easy to make.
I often make this easy crab salad and stuff it inside a big tomato. Sometimes I use a large bell pepper instead.
The ingredients you’ll need
You’ll only need a few simple ingredients to make this tasty crab salad. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here’s an overview of what you’ll need:
Real crab meat: You should definitely use real crab in this recipe. Imitation crab has a scary list of ingredients. Make sure the crab you use is as fresh as possible, or it will have an unpleasant fishy aftertaste. I find that the fresh crab meat sold at the Whole Foods seafood counter is usually fresh.
Green onions: They add flavor as well as color to the salad. Yellow onions are too sharp, and even shallots will not work well here, in my opinion. For the same reason, I only use the green parts of the scallions, not the whites which are much more pungent.
Mayonnaise: I prefer to use avocado oil mayonnaise in this recipe (in all my recipes, actually). My favorite brand is Sir Kensington’s. It’s creamy and delicious and not too vinegary.
Dijon mustard: Dijon is creamier and less vinegary than yellow mustard. It works well to complement the delicate flavor of the crab meat rather than overpowering it.
To season: Freshly ground black pepper and garlic powder. You can use minced fresh garlic instead of the powder. There’s no need for added salt – crab meat is usually very salty. But taste and decide for yourself.
How to make a crab salad
It couldn’t be easier. Simply mix the crab meat and the green onions with a fork, then add the remaining ingredients and mix to combine. Now, taste and decide if you want to add a little salt. See? So easy I can hardly call it a recipe!
If you’d like to stuff the salad inside a tomato, use a big, firm tomato. Using a small serrated knife, cut off a 1/2-inch slice from the stem end, then remove the core by carefully cutting all around it and on the bottom. Now, with a spoon, scoop out as much of the remaining pulp and seeds as you can, and stuff the cavity with the salad.
How to serve crab salad?
I like to stuff it inside a big tomato, as shown in the photos. It’s the perfect lunch! It’s also excellent on a bed of shredded lettuce, in a lettuce sandwich, on a thick slice of almond flour bread, or on a toasted and buttered keto English muffin.
What about leftovers?
You can keep leftovers of this salad in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to three days. Give them another mix before using them.
More crab recipes that you might like
While more involved than this easy recipe, two more crab recipes that I really like and make often for my family are crab-stuffed mushrooms and gluten-free crab cakes. Both are excellent!
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Crab Salad
INGREDIENTS
- 4 oz crab meat
- 1 green onion, green part, thinly sliced (1/2 oz)
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pick through the crab meat to get rid of any shells.
- In a medium bowl, use a fork to mix together the crab meat and the green onions.
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix to combine.
- Taste to ensure the salad is salty enough to your taste. If not, add a pinch of salt.
- If you'd like to stuff a tomato with this crab salad, use a big, firm tomato. Using a small serrated knife, cut off a 1/2-inch slice from the stem end, then remove the core by carefully cutting all around it and on the bottom. Now, with a spoon, scoop out as much of the remaining pulp and seeds as you can, stuff with the crab salad, and dig in.
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, Reader's Digest, and Better Homes and Gardens.