Join 11,000+ other food lovers enjoying weekly recipes.

Crab Salad Recipe

This crab salad recipe is the perfect thing to enjoy this summer. Juicy chunks of meat are coupled with sweet corn and rounded out with eggs and cheese for a rich, flavorful meal.

Here are some of my other favorite seafood recipes include this roasted salmon pasta casserole, my honey-glazed salmon, and you’ve GOT to try this crab cake recipe…trust me!

Crab salad recipe on a plate with spoon.

Seafood Salad Recipe

At first, seafood salad may not sound all that appealing. However, I promise that one bite of this dish will convert you! Typically, a seafood salad recipe is made with imitation crab meat, mayo, chopped celery, and spices. While that combination is okay, to me it always felt heavy thanks to all the mayo.

I decided I wanted to lighten up that heavy mayo flavor with a couple of extra ingredients. I played around with it quite a bit to decide what would be the best flavor profile, and this seafood salad recipe is the result! The ingredients include:

  • imitation crab
  • corn
  • chopped celery
  • diced cheese
  • egg
  • chives

All of the above is put together with an out-of-this-world mayo dressing. It’s so simple to make—all you need is mayonnaise with garlic and mustard.

I know this is not a traditional seafood salad recipe, but I hope you give it a try. The corn adds a beautiful sweetness to this imitation crab salad while the eggs and cheese give it more richness. This seafood salad recipe has been an instant hit in our family from the first time I tried this combination. I bet it will be a winner in your house, too!

Deconstructed seafood salad recipe in a glass bowl

Tips for Making This Imitation Crab Meat Salad

  • Optional – sub imitation crab for regular. This dish is traditionally made as an imitation crab meat salad. That being said, if you prefer to use regular crab, feel free to sub it in!
  • Chill the eggs before you chop them. When you make hardboiled eggs, submerge them in cold water with some ice cubes to chill. You may have to change the water/ice several times, but this is the fastest way I’ve found to get eggs chilled.
  • Store the imitation crab meat salad in the fridge until ready to serve. You can even make this recipe a few days in advance as it will keep for up to three days if it’s covered and refrigerated.

How to Make the Crab Salad Recipe

Close up of a crab salad recipe made with corn.

For detailed recipe instructions see the recipe card bottom of the post.

  • Make your hard-boiled eggs, then cool them before peeling and chopping.
  • Chop the imitation crab meat. Next, dice the celery and swiss cheese before finely chopping the chives.
  • Put all the ingredients in a bowl along with the corn.
  • In a separate bowl, mix together the garlic mayonnaise dressing. Toss it with the rest of the salad ingredients.
  • Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to three days before serving.

How to Serve the Crab Salad Recipe

This crab salad recipe is a versatile dish that can be served in several different ways. Here are just a few suggestions:

  • Over a bed of lettuce. This salad works very well over a bed of lettuce—I like to use romaine for a bit of crunch.
  • On crackers. It’s hard to go wrong with a crunchy cracker, particularly a buttery, salted version like Ritz as it pulls out the natural flavors of the dish.
  • As part of a crudite platter. Carrots, celery, sliced cucumbers, and radishes are just a few options that will work.
  • Within a hoagie roll. My favorite way to enjoy this crab salad recipe is on a fresh-baked hoagie roll.
  • On toast. This crab salad recipe makes for an excellent open-faced sandwich.
  • Eaten with a spoon. More often than not, my family will spoon this into bowls and just enjoy as-is with a spoon.

However you choose to serve this recipe, this will be a dish the entire family will enjoy!

Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe and with precise ingredient amounts.

Crab salad recipe with corn and chopped celery.

Crab Salad Recipe

5 from 6 votes

This upgraded version of the classic crab salad is made with the addition of corn, cheese and eggs will have everyone begging for this recipe once they try it.

Author: Marina | Let the Baking Begin
Course: Appetizer, Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: crab salad
Calories: 510 kcal
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4 appetizer portions

Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs, hard boiled and diced
  • 1 lb imitation crab meat, roughly chopped
  • 2/3 cups canned corn kernels, well drained
  • 8 slices swiss cheese (cut into small dice) 8 slices = 1/2 cup diced
  • 1 stalk celery cut into small dice
  • 1/2 cup chopped chives (or green onion)

Crab Salad Dressing

  • 3 cloves garlic, pressed
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp grain mustard (optional)

Instructions

  1. Chop: Hardboil eggs, meanwhile work on the rest of the ingredients while the eggs are cooking. Then, submerge in cold water to cool. Peel and dice the eggs.

    Roughly chop the imitation crab meat.

    Cut the celery and swiss cheese into small dice.

    Finely chop the chives or green onion.

    Add all cut up ingredients to a bowl, then add the drained corn kernels.

  2. Mix: In a small bowl whisk all ingredients for the dressing (mayonnaise, pressed or minced garlic and mustard if using), then add to the rest of the salad ingredients and thoroughly mix.

  3. Store in the refrigerator, covered until ready to serve.

Nutrition Facts
Crab Salad Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 510 Calories from Fat 306
% Daily Value*
Fat 34g52%
Saturated Fat 10g63%
Cholesterol 178mg59%
Sodium 978mg43%
Potassium 168mg5%
Carbohydrates 29g10%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 21g42%
Vitamin A 809IU16%
Vitamin C 5mg6%
Calcium 296mg30%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Bon Appetit & Happy Pinning

Thank you for following me on Instagram, Facebook & Pinterest!

Hashtag your photos #LetTheBakingBeginBlog so I can see your creations and for a chance to be featured!

Marina | Let the Baking Begin

Welcome to Let the Baking Begin! I'm Marina and my love and passion for eating only the most delicious foods drive me to share that love here on Let the Baking Begin (since 2009). With over 20 years of experience in the kitchen, you know the recipes are tested and retested until perfect. I'm so happy to have you here. Enjoy! Read more...

Join 11,000+ other food lovers enjoying weekly recipes.

Comments

Leave a comment

Please give this recipe a STAR RATING




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • DONNA

    Oh, my! This is so much better than the usual seafood salad. I highly recommend using the mustard.

    · Reply
  • Meaghan

    This is EXACTLY what you’d expect it to be. Made mine with real crab meat. Delish

    · Reply

As seen in