Gloriously easy to make, crab salad is one of my favorite lunches. I like to stuff it in a tomato. It's also great on thick slices of almond flour bread.
Ready in just 15 minutes, you can make it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for a few days.
One of my favorite lunches is some kind of seafood salad. Some of the recipes I make most often include octopus salad, tuna salad, salmon salad, and smoked salmon mousse.
I often make this easy crab salad and stuff it inside a big tomato or a large bell pepper. Of course, there's nothing wrong with eating it straight out of the bowl!
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this crab salad. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Lump crab meat: You should definitely use real crab in this recipe rather than imitation crab. Make sure the crab you use is as fresh as possible, or it will have a fishy aftertaste.
- Veggies: I use diced red onions and chopped parsley. They add flavor as well as color to the salad.
- Mayonnaise: I prefer to use avocado oil mayonnaise in this recipe (in all my recipes, actually).
- Dijon mustard: Dijon is creamier and less vinegary than yellow mustard. It works well to enhance the delicate flavor of the crab rather than overpowering it.
- Hot sauce: Try to use a sauce where the first ingredient is hot peppers and not vinegar.
- To season: Kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic granules.
Variations
- Instead of red onions, you can use the green parts of scallions, chopped.
- Capers make a very nice addition to this salad. Try adding a tablespoon.
- You can use sour cream instead of mayo, or perhaps half sour cream and half mayo. Although personally, I do prefer mayo.
- You can use minced fresh garlic instead of garlic granules.
Instructions
Making this salad couldn't be any easier! Simply mix the crab meat and the diced veggies with a fork:
Add the remaining ingredients:
Mix to combine and serve.
Expert Tip
The salt is optional - crab meat is usually quite salty, and so are most brands of hot sauce. You can mix the salad without the salt, then taste and decide for yourself.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can. It won't be as good because canned crab meat is a bit fishy (much like canned tuna). So if you can, use fresh crab meat. But when I can't get fresh crab meat, I go ahead and use canned crab meat:
I'm not a fan of imitation crab. It simply won't be the same as the real thing (as long as it's fresh), and if you take a look at the ingredients list, I'm sure you won't want to anyway!
You certainly could if you wanted to. You can add a couple of hard-boiled eggs. You can either grate them coarsely or chop them, then gently mix them into the salad.
Serving Suggestions
I like to stuff this salad inside a big hollowed-out tomato. It's the perfect lunch!
If you'd like to try this serving method, use a big, firm tomato. Using a small serrated knife, cut off a ½-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.
This salad is 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.
Sometimes, I serve it in lettuce cups:
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to three days. Give the salad another mix before using it.
More Crab Recipes
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Recipe Card
Crab Salad (Real Crab)
Ingredients
- 8 ounces lump crab meat - as fresh as possible
- 2 tablespoons red onion - diced
- 2 tablespoons parsley - chopped
- â…“ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ¼ teaspoon of any other salt; see Notes below
- â…› teaspoon black pepper - freshly ground
- ¼ teaspoon garlic granules - or 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, onions, and parsley.
- Add the remaining ingredients (mayo, mustard, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and garlic powder).
- Mix to combine. If you didn't add salt, taste to ensure that the salad is salty enough to your taste. If it's not, add salt to taste.
- Serve immediately, in a bowl, stuffed inside a tomato or bell pepper, in a lettuce wrap, or on bread such as this almond flour bread.
Video
Notes
- The salt is optional, as crab meat is usually quite salty, and so are the Dijon mustard and hot sauce. You can mix the salad without the salt, then taste and decide for yourself. The nutrition info assumes you used ½ teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
- If you'd like to stuff the salad inside a tomato, use a big, firm tomato. Using a small serrated knife, cut off a ½-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.
- You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to three days. Give the salad another mix before using it.
Nutrition per Serving
Disclaimers
Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
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, and Country Living. 
Jessica Chaney
This was perfection, we ate it on cucumber slices. Thanks for the recipe!
Vered DeLeeuw
Yum! I love the idea of cucumber slices, Jessica!
Rudolph Victor Curtis
This is the best crab salad! Thank you!
Vered DeLeeuw
You're very welcome! Glad you liked it. Thanks for the review.
Patty
It's a good recipe. I used it as a template, thank you. We got 3 Dungeness crabs from Costco as part of our 2-person Christmas.
I added lemon, Old Bay, chopped celery and some mustard powder along with the Dijon.
It made it a little looser BUT, I am going to serve them tomorrow, Christmas morning, in avocado halves.
We did taste it and it's a winner. It does need the salt.
Vered DeLeeuw
Glad you like this recipe, Patty! Thank you for sharing your additions. Merry Christmas!