Crab Salad is a classic Seafood Salad recipe with imitation crab, shallot and celery in a creamy dressing with a blend of herbs and spices.
While real crab meat is best for more elevated Seafood dishes like Crab Artichoke Dip, Crab Cake Sandwich, and Crab Cakes, imitation crab is perfect for creamy Salads for the Summer.
Crab Salad, also known as Seafood Salad, is a beloved nostalgic dish that you can find just as easily at a seaside cafe as you can the grocery store deli. Whether itās made with real crab, loaded with veggies, or spread on a hoagie as a sandwich, there are many favorite ways to make this classic seafood dish. This recipe features imitation crab, shallots, and celery, all enveloped in a creamy dressing infused with a blend of paprika, dill, plus a little salt and pepper.
If youāre wondering what to make with imitation crab, it doesnāt get much better than this Easy Crab Salad recipe. There are just a handful of ingredients, you donāt have to do any cooking and thereās hardly any prep work. The imitation crab meat is super inexpensive and easy to find at most grocery stores for a fraction of the price of the real stuff! You can use whole ālegā meat, or you can get the flaked-style crab to save you a step of chopping it up. Either way, it will make a tasty salad with some mayo, spices and fresh, crunchy veggies.
At first, it may sound a bit odd to mix seafood and mayonnaise, but if youāve every had Tuna Salad or lobster rolls, you know that a creamy dressing is exactly what makes cold Crab Salad recipes so amazing! The cool, creamy mayo with the smoky paprika and tangy dill is perfect with the delicate seafood flavor of imitation crab and real crab alike.Ā
This tasty homemade Crab Salad can be enjoyed as a light and refreshing appetizer, a satisfying lunch option, or even as a classic sandwich. You can serve it with crispy crackers and veggies like bell peppers and cucumber slices for dipping at parties. Throw it on a bed of lettuce or a thick tomato slice for a low-carb, light lunch. Spread it on a hoagie roll for any easy, inexpensive twist on lobster rolls. Serve your Crab Salad Sandwiches with some Fruit Salad for a classic deli meal that is nostalgic, filling, and delicious.
What is the difference between Crab Salad and Surimi Salad?
Crab Salad and Surimi Salad are often used interchangeably, but they do have a subtle difference. While both salads use imitation crab as the main ingredient, Surimi Salad typically refers to a dish that incorporates more Asian-inspired flavors, such as soy sauce, sesame oil, or ginger. On the other hand, Crab Salad often features a mayo-based dressing with herbs and spices, like a more traditional creamy salad, similar to a tuna or egg salad.
How to Make Crab Salad
- If your imitation krab meat isnāt already flaked, you will want to roughly chop it into small pieces.
- Combine the mayo with the spices until itās will blended.
- Add the krab, shallots, and celery to the dressing and stir until everything is well coated.
- Cover the bowl and chill in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.
More Delicious Crab Recipes
FAQs for Crab Salad
This recipe uses imitation crab meat, sometimes referred to as krab or krab meat. However, just because itās not actually made of crab, it is made with fish. This is actually why many people refer to Crab Salad as Seafood Salad.
Imitation Crab Salad (krab) is actually made with Surimi, a whitefish that is ground then bound with a starch and other additives to resemble crab meat. It is crafted to resemble the texture and taste of real crab meat. Imitation crab is widely available in most grocery stores and provides an affordable alternative to real crab meat for those on a budget or looking for a different flavor profile.
Neptune Salad is not the same as a Crab Salad, but itās more like a seafood salad with the works. It often has baby shrimp as well as crab plus ingredients like eggs, corn, carrots, peas, etc.
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Key Ingredients
- Imitation Crab: Imitation crab, also known as krab meat, is made from a blend of fish, typically Alaskan pollock, and other additives. It has a delicate texture and mild flavor that perfectly mimics the taste of crab, but is much more cost effective than real crab meat.
- Shallots: Shallots add a subtle onion-like flavor to the seafood salad, enhancing its savory profile without overpowering the sweet, mild taste of the crab meat. You could also use red onions but dice them very small so they donāt take over the flavors.
- Celery: Minced celery provides a refreshing crunch and adds a hint of herbal notes, contributing to the overall texture and balance of the salad.
- Mayonnaise: Mayonnaise serves as the creamy base for the dressing, providing richness and a luscious texture to the Crab Salad. The smooth, subtly tangy flavor is perfect with the sweet, mild crab meat and is a classic way to make seafood salad dressing.
- Spices: This delicious Crab Salad only needs a few spices to add a bit of flavor without overpowering the delicate imitation crab. Paprika adds a warm, smoky flavor while dill brings a burst of freshness. They provide a pleasant contrast to the richness of the dressing and the sweetness of the crab meat.Ā
Can you make Crab Salad ahead of time?
Yes, Crab Salad can be prepared ahead of time to save you time and it gives all the flavors time to develop. You want to refrigerate the salad for at least an hour before serving, and itās best in the first day or two. Remember to give it a gentle stir before serving to ensure the dressing coats the ingredients evenly.
Variations
- Veggies: Add some more fresh, crunchy veggies to your seafood salad like green onions, red onions, black olives, or bell peppers.Ā
- Cheese: If you love all things indulgent, add some shredded sharp cheddar cheese or chopped up slices of American cheese to your cold Crab Salad.
- Dressing: Instead of mayo, you can use Greek yogurt, mashed avocado orĀ sour cream in the dressing to lighten up the salad. Itās best to do half mayo and half the substitute so itās still got that deliciously smooth texture.
- Seafood: You can add other seafood to the salad like baby shrimp, cooked mild flavored fish like cod or tilapia, or cooked scallops. If you want to splurge, you can use real crab or even make this salad with steamed lobster!
- Seasonings: Some other popular flavorings for Crab Salad are Old Bay seasoning, celery seed, and even some cayenne pepper for a little kick. A squeeze of lemon or lime are a great way to add some zesty freshness.Ā
How to Serve Crab Salad
- For an easy, amazing sandwich serve the salad on a toasted hoagie roll with lettuce and sliced onions.
- Make a Seafood Pasta Salad doubling the dressing and mixing the Crab Salad with cooked pasta.
- You can serve this as a dip with crackers or go low-carb with veggies like cucumber and bell peppers.
- Another low-carb, classic way to serve cold creamy salads is to spread them on top of thick cut tomato slices or make lettuce wraps.
Easy Classic Creamy Deli Salads
How to Store
- Serve: It is best to keep this recipe cold in the refrigerator until serving, but at most do not leave at room temperature longer than 2 hours.
- Store: Sealed in an airtight container, Crab Salad will be good in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Give it a good stir before serving.
- Freeze: Itās best not to freeze mayonnaise based salads, as the dressing will separate and not come back together after it thaws.Ā
IngredientsĀ
- 1 pound imitation crab , krab meat
- 1 shallot , minced
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup celery , minced
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dill
- 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl add all the ingredients together gently, stirring until well coated.
- Refrigerate for an hour before serving.
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This is one awesome recipe! Great way to get more fish into our diets. Super simple. Made it just as the recipe specified and I wouldn’t change a thing! Thanks!
Added 1/2 teaspoon dill & a few sprinkles of parsley. ??
oops–guess my last comment got deleted. lol
something to try–and i use this in all my protein-and-mayo salads–is some old bay seasoning.
i use it in chicken salad, tuna salad, and, now, “krab” salad.
great recipe, Sabrina. thanks for posting it. as i said before, it did take me back,,,
wow. making surimi salad, while having a ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY NINE DOLLAR SPICE RACK?? wow again…
but, yea. i, for one, cannot afford real crab right now.
this really did bring me back in time.
I just made this! Really good-thank you for sharing!
Love this recipe. The closest Iāve gotten to ukrops. The paprika did turn the salad red by next day
My first time making crab salad, and it turned out fabulous. Sooo Yummy.
What are your thoughts on using Miracle Whip instead of Mayonnaise?
It’ll adjust the flavor a bit but you can use it.
Where are all the carbs from??
Imitation crab and from the mayo.
Yesterday was the first time I made crab salad ! I made it in the morning because I knew I was going to be home late. The flavors had all day to marry. So I got home served it with ? cottage cheese and a lettuce salad ! It was awesome ! Family loved it ! Thank You for the recipe ! I shared it on FB !! 5 star all day !!!
Thanks, Diane. I’m so happy you loved it enough to give it a 5 star rating.
Even better with real lump blue crab meat. A real winner.
So far just reading your recipes makes me want to try several. I look forward to cooking with you.
Thanks, Gail.
Interesting. I’ve been buying it from the seafood department at my grocery store for years. I’ve never heard of it in a sandwich before. We’ve always used it as a side dish, like potato salad.
DELISH! & Easy to prep!
So I didnāt have dill (and thatās ok) and I didnāt have shallots and used a regular yellow onion instead. Followed the rest as instructed and it was pretty darn good! Totally better (and more fresh) then the deli!
Thanks!
So glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks for the 5 stars.
I am wondering what the difference is in using imitation crab meat to real lump crab meat is? Is there a difference in how the recipe will turn out?
You can make this recipe with either. Enjoy!
So so so good! We put it on a toasted Italian sub and topped it with tomatoes and avocado!
Very good. I used hot Hungarian paprika and it added just a hint of spice. I also used green onion instead of shallot.
Highly recommend
This was fantastic. We found it to be even better than deli/store bought. Better than any crab/seafood salad we have ever had before. Thank you so much. I had been agonizing about what to do with the package of crab Iād impulsively bought that was sitting in the back of our fridge for weeks. I served it on grilled hamburger buns. Canāt wait for things to go back to normal as these would be nice served as an alternative to dogs and burgers at a grill out.
Is there a recipe for replacing the mayo with an olive oil and vinegar
Olive oil gets thick in the fridge, if you want a high quality mayo, use avocado oil in your recipie
Easy to prepare and full of flavor. We loved it!
I am have it for supper tonight {5/20 /2020}you are the only told how much for each item thank you
Delicious and easy. This is the closest I have come to the flavor profile I am looking for and I think the only issue was I didnāt have enough celery so I skimped on it.
Hi there,
What mayo do you recommend? I donāt seem to see it in the recipe, but you do say what you use āis the bestā…would love to know what it is!
Sorry, your comment got stuck in my spam filter. I prefer Best Food. Enjoy!
Have made this for years
I made up my own using imatation crab, mayo, celery, yellow onions, lightly cooked broccoli so it still has a good crunch to it, tomato’s and a couple dashes of lemon juice and salt! Amazing to me since I couldn’t find anything close to the kind IGA in Sabina (OH) had
Very good! I love the seafood salad that we buy from Shoprite. I tried making it at home previously and not as good. Used your recipe and took a taste test and it is almost exactly like the one from the store. I Think instead of using onions and old bay seasoning that i have used in the past, dill and shallots make the difference from just edible to ” i can’t wait to have another sandwich of this stuff”! . Thanks and i plan on having this for lunch multiple times next week at work! <3
YUM!! With or without the shallot/onion, it’s delightful. Try stuffing half an avocado with this mixture…it’s an even creamier way to eat this salad.
A food store chain named Shoprite (I’m in NJ) makes a wonderful seafood salad, as many times as i have tried to duplicate it it doesn’t come close, my wife makes it better then i do but always seems to be missing something. Hoping this will be the recipe i have been searching for, thanks in advance!
Fingers crossed!
Just made it! Fantastic!!! Thank you ooooh so much! XOXOXO
Do u use just ready to eat crab meat in container at the store, long green onions and can u add Steamed scallions!
Yes š
my only suggesting to this is adding chopped peeled cucumber and more mayo. i actually use the cucumber instead of celery so both the kids and adults can eat it. kids tend to find celery quite demonic š
i like the paprika addition, will try that next time. thx!
Thanks for the suggestions!
Is this the same salad that we can buy in a container at Top’s? I am trying to include more fish dishes for lunch and supper in my diet and I assumed that this wasn’t too bad a choice, but I don’t know what your serving size is. 310 calories for one cup? 4oz? Big difference and I am trying to keep track.
I’m not sure what the Top’s container size you are referring to, but a serving is about a 1/2 a cup.
Used all ingredients augmenting (including) with green onion, celery seed, and Old Bay Seasoning to taste; it turned out very well.
Glad to hear that!
Sounds great, could you use canned crab?
I wouldn’t recommend. This salad uses imitation crab and it’s not going to have a good consistency with crab from a can
I made this for a recent potluck and it got devoured by guests. Used about two tablespoons of fresh chopped dill, 1 and 1/2 lbs of imitation crab, a cup of shredded carrot, several spritzes of lemon juice, and farfalle pasta.
Delicious! I’m glad it was such a hit!!
Thank you for the wonderful recipe, I’ll definitely make it again!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Sabrina: Have you ever tried “Duke’s Mayonaise”? If so, what did you think of it? I know they have it down south, and I hear it’s an excellent mayo, so I’m wondering if it’s worth trying a jar from Amazon. BTW, last night I increased all of the ingredients, and made this into a Pasta & Crab Salad. I used seashell pasta, and also added a few drops of fresh lemon juice. OMG, was it ever delicious!
Yes and I LOVE it!!
Angela,
I love the seashell pasta idea! I donāt have that though, do you think I could use medium shells? Thanks !
I am from the mid atlantic area. We have many house brands such as Krogerās. We also have Dukeās, Hellmanās, Krafts, JFG, and others.
Iāve tried just about all of them. Dukes and Hellmanās are the top two. Hellmanās has an off putting taste due to spice or spices added. For me, Dukeās is the Best. It only contains the three original ingredients when it was first created in the 1890ās. This is based on taste, not cultural bias
I was never a fan of crab salad until I had some recently so I decided to make my own. This recipe is very easy and it tastes great. The only reason Iām giving 4 stars is because the shallot has a really strong bitter taste and that kinda messed it up for me. Idk if itās supposed to taste like that of not. Iāve never used them. Next time Iāll try using the red onion. Other than that, like I said it tastes great.
A country club I belonged to years ago served this over an English muffin with topped with melted Swiss cheese. It was called “Lion’s Gate” and it was one of my favorites!
Very good
Doubled the spices, added elbow pasta. A shredded carrot for color. Delicious filling meal!
Love Crab salad.
Absolutely love this recipe. I call it krab salad, but have my own variation that I call seafood salad I simply take the original krab salad and add some salad shrimp. It is incredibly delicious anyway you make it with or without the shrimp and or the pasta..
Can real crab be used ?
Yes š
Weird question, has anyone tried this with Greek yogurt? Or does that sound gross? Lol
I would think you could, it would have a little more tang, but if you’ve never made it and don’t know what it’s supposed to taste like, I would think it would be fine.
Super easy. Made tonight and will definitely make it again. Served in pita pocket bread.
I added lemon juice and sarachi sauce. Yummy!
Yum!!
Quick question… Can I use dried dill for the 1/2 tsp or is that the measurement if using fresh?
This measurement is for dried. š
Do you use dill seed or dill weed?
Dill Weed š
I love eating it on a hoagie bun with sweet pickles! Yum! I just might have to try this recipe! ??
Seriously, this couldn’t be any better!
This sounds delicious, but I know the mayo is crucial to a great taste, but not too sweet. What brand do you recommend?
I prefer Best Foods. š
Or it’s Hellman’s east of you.
Aldi’s Mayo IS Hellman’s. At least it tastes, spreads and looks identical to it. Can’t go wrong.
Is there a sub for dill
You could use rosemary instead or simply omit it all together. Enjoy!
Hellmann’s before any other!!!!!
Hellmann’s and Best Foods are one in the same. Depends on where you live.
This recipe has become a staple in our house. It is absolutely delicious! I usually fill a 1/2 avocado with the salad and eat it that way. So good!
That sounds amazing!