Crab Salad Recipes

If you are looking for a novel version for a crab salad recipe, what about making this great walnut and apple crab salad? The fruit and nuts go wonderfully with the flavor of crab and the mustard adds a hint of heat to the finished dish and contrasts well with the creamy mayonnaise. If you are not partial to mustard, feel free to leave it out altogether. Parsley, thyme, and other herbs can be added or used instead of the basil if you do not have any. Use fresh crab meat, canned crab meat, or even imitation crab in this tasty recipe. Choose a variety with a lot of flavor like Dungeness or blue crab if you can get them.

Imitation crab works great and adds a firmer texture and more color to the finished salad. This is a very simple recipe that can be made earlier in the afternoon, then chilled until dinner. Chilling helps the salad come together, blending flavors and giving the dressing more body. This crab salad recipe is delicious as an appetizer, a flavorful lunch or even as a nice cold filling for baked potatoes. There are so many things you can do with this crab salad. For appetizers, scoop some of the salad into a curved lettuce leaf. You can make this salad as a complete light meal or pair it with some delicious soup or crusty bread. It also makes a wonderful side dish to complement any main dish you may be preparing.

Creamy Crab Salad Recipe with Mustard Mayo

Ingredients -

1 lb crab meat or chopped imitation crab
Juice of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 lemon
1 chopped green onion
½ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon mustard
½ cup chopped walnuts
1 peeled, cored, diced apple
½ cup chopped fresh basil
Salt and black pepper

Preparation:

Combine the mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, walnuts, apple and basil.

Add the crab and green onion, and then chill for 30 minutes before serving.

(Serves 2)

There are many kinds of crab salad recipe to choose from, so you could say that there is something for everybody. Crab is considered a sophisticated seafood ingredient. Similar to lobster, crab has a delicate yet rich flavor and goes wonderfully with many typical salad ingredients. Whether you use canned lump crab, fresh crabmeat from the seafood market, thawed crab or even imitation crab for budget crab recipes, your salad will be great-tasting for sure.

You can make an easy imitation crab salad recipe for a buffet, combining this juicy seafood with tropical ingredients like papaya or pineapple, as well as crisp salad leaves, or a gourmet appetizer for a dinner party by combining your shellfish with elegant ingredients and maybe a tasty homemade dressing. Finding out how to make crab salad is simple and anybody can make a mouthwatering crab pasta salad or other crab salad recipe, regardless of how much or how little culinary experience they have had.

What Makes the Best Crab Salads?

As with most recipes, if you were to ask what makes the best crab salad, the answer would be your imagination. The better you are at imagining how crab would taste when paired with different ingredients, how the finished easy crab salad recipe would look on the plate and what the finished flavor of the dish would be like, the better you will be at creating such a masterpiece.

You might be surprised how easy some crab salad recipes are and you can make a satisfying imitation crab salad recipe with as few as four or five ingredients. Canned crab is also easy to work with and even fresh crab is fairly straightforward, if you follow our crab cooking tips for excellent results.

Crab Salad Recipes for Every Palate

Crab salad is a versatile dish and you can use it for an appetizer, serve it with bread for a light lunch or even make it a complete meal and serve it at dinnertime. Crab salad is just as popular at a buffet or party in the winter as it is eaten al fresco on a hot summer day. An easy crab salad recipe gives amazing results and fans of this delicious seafood will love learning how to make crab salad because it is so simple.

An imitation crab salad recipe can be made for just a few cents, especially if you are teaming the crabmeat with pasta or macaroni for a crab pasta salad. A mayonnaise, sour cream, or oil-based dressing would work well with this and citrus flavors are always great with seafood. Alternatively, you might want to spice things up, going for a Mexican style crab salad with chilies and tangy lime, or an Asian style crab salad recipe with an oriental touch.

If the idea of an easy crab salad recipe sounds good, there is sure to be the best crab salad for you, no matter what the season or occasion. Crab salad might be easy to prepare but it is always an elegant dish to serve and the flavor of this wonderful dish is guaranteed to please any friends or family stopping by for dinner.

This is a truly simple crab salad recipe which makes the most of imitation crab and fresh celery. Both ingredients are cut into pieces of a similar shape and size. The finely minced onions add more flavor, but are not very visible. The parsley adds little flecks of color and flavor. Together, you get a very simple salad with hardly any effort on your part. Serve this delicious crab salad recipe in a simple bowl as we did, or you can set it out on a platter heaped on a bed of lettuce leaves. Use red lettuce to make the salad really stand out. This chunky salad is fun to eat; all the kids will love it. Cutting the celery and the imitation crab on the diagonal adds a distinctive look to this salad that makes it very attractive on the table.

This is a great salad that can be made year round. Celery is available all year, as is imitation crab. The red and green colors could also make this a refreshing holiday salad. It will jazz up your holidays with some light seafood dishes instead of lots of heavy, rich dishes. This simple salad can really be made anytime you feel a craving for an easy crab salad recipe. You can also bring this salad to potlucks, family gatherings, or picnics. It is a versatile salad that fits in with almost any menu.

Ingredients -

12 oz imitation crab meat, cut on the diagonal
½ cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons finely minced onion
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Lemon pepper seasoning
Salt, to taste

Preparation:

Combine the imitation crab, celery, and onions. Stir in the mayonnaise, parsley, and lemon juice.

Season to taste with salt and lemon pepper seasoning. Let the salad chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.

(Serves 6)