This crab salad recipe is a creamy seafood salad that is quick and easy to make.
Imitation crab is tossed with celery and green onions, then mixed with homemade dressing and seasonings until perfectly creamy and crunchy!
It’s such a filling & flavorful dish that can be served as a side salad or a light lunch!
What is Crab Salad?
- Crab salad is a simple salad that uses simple ingredients!
- This recipe uses imitation crab, which means it’s less expensive and can be enjoyed anytime!
- The dressing is super easy to make & is so versatile. Add ingredients to make it spicier or sweeter, depending on preference.
- Served cold, this salad is the best in seafood salad recipes. It is so good eaten as a simple salad piled on crackers, made into a sandwich in roll or even toss in some pasta to make a crab pasta salad.
Ingredients for Crab Salad
Crab: I prefer using imitation crab for this recipe. Imitation crab, as the name suggests, has no crab in it and is sometimes added to sushi. It is usually made from white fish and a combination of other ingredients and is used as a replacement for real crab meat. It’s less expensive and has a milder sweet flavor.
Dressing: Smooth and creamy, this dressing is the perfect match for the mild flavored crab meat and celery. The seasonings and the sweet relish will give it a hint of sweetness.
Additions: I add green onion for some flavor, along with diced celery for crunch. Add in sweet pickles, finely diced red bell pepper or other favorites.
Variations: Replace the crab meat with shrimp or prawns. Add some spicy peppers or a dash of hot sauce like sriracha to give it a little kick.
How to Make Crab Salad
A crab salad is a quick and easy side dish or light lunch!
- Whisk together all the dressing ingredients.
- Cut up the crab meat. Mix all the ingredients together and season.
- Refrigerate and then serve as per the recipe below.
Storing Crab Salad
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
- Due to the mayonnaise and sour cream in this recipe, it wouldn’t be advisable to freeze.
More Salad for Sandwiches!
Did you make this Crab Salad? Leave us a rating and a comment below!
Crab Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound chunked or flaked imitation crab meat or lump crab meat
- 2 ribs celery finely diced, about ½ cup
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
Dressing
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 teaspoons fresh parsley chopped
- 1 tablespoon sweet relish
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or to taste
- ½ teaspoon old bay seasoning
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
Instructions
- Whisk all dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
- If the crab is chunked, cut it into small pieces.
- Gently mix with a spoon. Season with salt & pepper.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve over bread or lettuce.
Notes
- Finely diced red bell pepper
- Sweet pickles
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Salad, Seafood
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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I absolutely love this recipe. . .however, I saw several recipes for a Japanese crab salad called “Kani” which looked good, except I didn’t really care for some of the ingredients. I decided to use your recipe (minus the relish) adding Sriracha sauce, as well as julienned carrots, julienned cucumber, and mango cut into stick-like pieces. Oh, my! It is delicious, and just another way to enjoy your recipe. I love your chicken salad, too, and think it’s your homemade seasoned salt that does the trick. Thank you for all of your great recipes!
That sounds delicious Kim! Thank you for sharing.
Terrific recipe!! I love the classic deli imitation crab salad flavor, yet this recipe tastes so much better! I love the lower cost in making it and knowing exactly what goes in it, too, rather than store-bought stuff.
I am so happy to hear you loved this recipe Martin!
This was amazing!!! I added bay shrimp because I didn’t quite have enough crab and because my oldest daughter LOVES shrimp so I figured she’d be happy!! Great recipe, absolutely love the flavor! So much better than any store bought seafood salad I’ve tried! Thanks!
I am so happy to hear you loved this recipe Tricia!
Great recipe, I love seafood salad! I used to get it at Subway then they got rid of it so I started to make my own. This is a great recipe I never add relish but will try next time. I also like to use Duke’s mayo, it has the perfect flavor for seafood salad!
I’m so glad you loved this recipe!