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.
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 salad and stuff it inside a big tomato. Sometimes I use a large bell pepper instead. Of course, there's nothing wrong with eating it straight out of the bowl!
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. 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 Market seafood counter is usually fresh.
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). 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.
Hot sauce: I like Frank's cayenne pepper sauce, but you can use your favorite brand.
To season: Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and garlic powder. You can use minced fresh garlic instead of the powder. The salt is optional - crab meat is usually quite salty, and so is Frank's Hot Sauce. You can mix the salad without the salt, then taste and decide for yourself.
How to make a crab salad
It couldn't be easier! Simply mix the crab meat and the diced veggies with a fork, then add the remaining ingredients and mix to combine. 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 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.
Substitutions and variations
Here are a few ideas for varying the basic recipe:
- 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.
How to serve crab salad?
As mentioned above, I like to stuff it inside a big tomato. 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 leftover crab salad in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to three days. Give the salad another mix before using it.
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 crab cakes that I make with almond flour. Both are excellent! The crab cakes taste exactly like the traditional version. They are amazing.
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Crab Salad
INGREDIENTS
- 8 oz crab meat
- 2 tablespoons red onion diced
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce I like to use Frank's Original Cayenne Sauce
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (see comment below under "Notes")
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ 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, the onions, and the parsley.
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix to combine.
- If you didn't add salt, taste to ensure the salad is salty enough to your taste. If not, add a pinch of salt.
- 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.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
NOTES
More recipes to try
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. 