Cold crab salad makes a perfect lunch or appetizer. Mixing sweet crab with the right set of ingredients enhances the flavor. These three recipes for cold crab salad offer delicious choices for crustacean lovers.
Cold Crab Salad Recipes
You can use any type of crab meat in these salads. If you purchase lump crab meat, be sure to rinse it and pick it over for shells.
Spicy Crab Salad
Adding a little heat to a creamy dressing gives this salad zip.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 12 ounces lump crab meat, drained, rinsed, and picked over
- 3 green onions, very thinly sliced
- 1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons sriracha
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 4 butter lettuce leaves
- 4 lemon wedges
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the crab meat, green onions, and celery.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, sriracha, salt, and pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss it gently to mix.
- Place the butter lettuce on a plate so it makes a cup. Spoon the crab salad into the butter lettuce. Garnish with lemon wedges.
Crab, Corn, Black Bean, and Avocado Salad
This salad has Latin flavors.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 8 ounces lump crab meat, drained, rinsed, and picked over
- 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 red pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
- 1 (14-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely minced
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1 avocado, pitted and peeled
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Additional lime wedges, as garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the crab meat, onions, tomatoes, red pepper, corn, black beans, and cilantro.
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a chopping blade, pulse the garlic cloves and jalapeño for 10 one-second pulses. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the chopped garlic and jalapeño into the bottom of the processor.
- Add the lime juice, avocado, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper to the food processor. Turn it on and allow it to run for about one minute until it makes a smooth dressing.
- Toss the dressing with the crab salad.
- Serve garnished with additional lime wedges.
Crab, Artichoke, and Pasta Salad With Tarragon
Cook the pasta ahead of time according to package directions and allow it to cool completely before making this crab salad.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 12 ounces bowtie pasta, cooked, drained, and cooled
- 8 ounces lump crab meat
- 1 cup water-packed artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
- 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped tarragon
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
- Dash of red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- Freshly chopped basil, as garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the cooled pasta, crab, artichoke hearts, fennel, and tarragon.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, mayonnaise, mustard, garlic, chives, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
- Toss it gently with the salad. Chill before serving.
- Top with freshly chopped basil as a garnish before serving.
Make-Ahead Meals
Cold crab salad is the ideal make-ahead meal. Prepare it up to 24 hours before and chill it, tightly covered, in the refrigerator. When you serve it with a chilled, crisp white wine such as Chardonnay, it makes an easy but delicious meal to remember.
