- I've got recipes for tuna salad,
chicken salad, shrimp salad, and salmon salad.
So it only made sense
that today I show you how to make a classic crab salad.
Crab salad is one of the best ways to enjoy crab meat
whether you use imitation crab,
lump crab meat,
or fresh crab from crab legs.
And while there may be some controversy
or at least very strong opinions on imitation crab,
I will give you my thoughts in the video.
So let's jump on into this deli style
summer salad favorite
that is perfect for lunch.
All right, jumping right into the types of crab you can use.
The best option, of course,
would be fresh crab legs
like snow crab or these king crab legs.
But this is also the priciest option
and I wouldn't want cost to dissuade you
from making this recipe.
So if you want real crab,
but at a lower price level,
you can also use canned lump crab meat.
This is actually what I use in
my crab stuffed mushrooms recipe
that are coming your way soon.
And last, but not least,
you have imitation crab that's also known as Surimi.
Many people don't know this,
but imitation crab is actually made from Alaskan Pollock
which is the white fish commonly used in fish sticks.
And it's a perfectly fine and healthy fish,
so there's nothing wrong with it.
It's just not crab,
though they do make it look like crab.
Now, historically, I've always avoided imitation crab
because back in the day
you'd find gluten hidden
in the ingredient list.
But I searched many different brands
and see that that's no longer the case,
though I do always recommend you read your own labels.
And while there's a bit of sugar and natural flavor,
it's otherwise not a horrible ingredient list.
So I'm not gonna turn my nose up at imitation crab
and I think it's a perfectly fine option.
to make the dressing for crab salad,
you'll need two-thirds cup mayonnaise,
one tablespoon fresh lemon juice,
half a teaspoon of paprika,
half a teaspoon of Dijon mustard,
a quarter teaspoon of kosher salt,
and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper.
Give that a stir until it's creamy
and well mixed, and then set it aside.
So are you guys surprised that I decided to go
with the imitation crab for this recipe?
This is actually what you'll find most often
in deli style crab salad recipes,
unless maybe you live in Alaska where crab
is more readily available.
Oh, inside note,
I'm going to be up in Alaska in two weeks,
so that'll be a whole bunch of fun.
But if you're using imitation crab as I am,
the packages usually come in flaked or leg style options.
I'm using flaked, which just means
that it's already separated in two large chunks,
but I find these pieces are still a bit too large
for this salad.
So I just take my chef's knife
and do a rough chop
over the pieces to make them a bit more bite-sized.
I should also note that imitation crab is usually frozen,
so after you thaw and chop it up,
it may have a bit of extra moisture.
I just dab it
with a paper towel to remove any extra moisture
as I don't want my dressing to get watery at all.
Add the chopped imitation crab
to a large mixing bowl
and then set that aside as there's
a few produce items to chop up.
The first is celery,
and I think celery is always
a requirement in these simple protein salads
like crab salad, shrimp salad, or tuna salad.
It gives such a lovely crunch and crisp bite.
That's also a great combination with a creamy dressing.
So run your knife down the length of two ribs of celery
one or two times to create smaller pieces.
Then slice across and dice them up.
Next up is a small shallot
and you'll need about two tablespoons
of finely diced shallot.
But you guys know me,
if I'm chopping up an onion or a shallot,
I'm gonna chop up the whole thing
and then save any leftovers to add
to egg scrambles or other recipes throughout the week.
And lastly, you'll need about one tablespoon
of freshly chopped herbs.
You can use parsley, chives, dill
or another tender herb that you love.
I'm using chives today as I already had a package
in my fridge for making my egg salad recipe last week,
which by the way is another awesome simple protein salad
and always in regular rotation in my house.
So that's all there was
to prep for this really easy salad recipe.
Add the chopped celery and shallot
to the bowl along with the prepared dressing.
And hold off on adding the chives
for now because we'll add those at the end.
Give the crab salad a stir
until it's well mixed and creamy.
And if you'd like,
transfer it to eat prettier bowl if you're serving it up.
And then garnish the top with a little extra black pepper
and the chopped chives for the perfect pop of green,
which compliments the orange in the salad beautifully.
Now it's time for me to take my bite.
It's got the perfect level of creaminess,
a little bit of spice with the Dijon and the paprika,
but not overly spicy at all.
Just really flavorful
and it's got that crisp crunch from the celery as well.
So it's just very light and fresh, and cooling,
which is perfect
on a very hot sunny day in Southern California.
In terms of serving,
you could serve this up a variety of ways.
I like to eat it right out of the bowl,
but you could serve it up how you would a tuna salad,
or shrimp salad or salmon salad, or chicken salad.
Put it on some bread or toast.
I would of course use gluten-free.
You could put it
into some lettuce leaves for a wrap as well
or you can just dig into it with some crackers.
I would use gluten-free crackers.
So many ways to enjoy it.
In terms of storage,
this lasts for about three to four days in the fridge.
I would put it into one
of my normal glass meal prep storage containers
like a wipe jar or a glass lock jar.
But I don't recommend freezing it.
It doesn't thaw exceptionally well once it's frozen,
just due to the mayonnaise
and the fish texture just isn't great.
So keep it in your fridge three to four days.
And there's about four servings total.
So if you're one person,
you can enjoy crab salad throughout the week.
And if you're a family,
this will probably just disappear really fast.
I hope you guys enjoy this crab salad recipe,
and if you do,
make sure to share it with your family and friends.
Give the video a thumbs up
as that always helps to support my channel,
and I will see you again in the next video.