Super Easy crab salad is made with gluten-free imitation crab, crunchy celery, toasted almonds, fresh spring veggies and a delicate curry Japanese mayo dressing.
HWC Magazine would like to give a special thanks to Chieko-san Kakuma for her delicious recipe. We loved her delicious Super Easy Crab Salad recipe and we know you will too!
Sometimes, the simplest recipes are the best. We used spring fresh ingredients and just a touch of curry powder to bring this salad to a new level. However, it is the diverseness in textures that makes this dish such a delicious bite. You have the crunchiness of the celery and toasted almonds, the delicate tender sweetness from the crab, peas and edamame beans that just pop in your mouth and the creamy texture of the Kewpie Japanese mayonnaise to bring this whole easy crab salad recipe together.
Curry powder is one of those spices that in our books is a must have. Even just a little pinch of curry powder brings out that umami flavor in this dish. This easy crab salad is not spicy but just well-balanced.
Celery is VERY expensive in Japan. Well, let me rephrase that…EVERYTHING is expensive in Japan. In Japan, celery is sold by the stalk and not by the bunch and each stalk is about $100-$125 yen maybe even more… that is roughly about $1 USD.
Chieko-san did not originally add edamame beans or peas to her version of crab salad but we wanted pop in a little extra protein, fiber and vitamins in our salad. If you want to make a vegan version of this salad, increase the amount of edamame beans, hold the crab and replace the Kewpie Japanese Mayonnaise with a vegan brand mayonnaise instead.
If you want to make this super easy crab salad gluten-free you will need to use gluten-free imitation crab meat and a certified gluten-free mayo. We have one word of caution if you are diagnosed as celiac. Do not use Kewpie Brand Mayonnaise as it made with malt vinegar and this product should be avoided. There are plenty of Gluten-free brand mayonnaise on the market but make sure to read the labels.
This super easy crab salad is delicious served inside a lettuce cup, on a sandwich, piled high on a cracker or plain just on its own.
As the seasons are changing, we are looking for more lighter salad recipes. Have you tried our Thai Pomelo Crab Salad , Curried Tuna Salad Roll Ups or Chinese Chicken Salad and Goji Berry Dressing
If you are looking for a refreshing dressing have you tried our Framboise Osmanthus Rose Vinaigrette?
If you a looking for a fun salad, try our Thai Grilled Watermelon Salad-
Or if you want to try a unique salad that is even delicious for breakfast and that is our Quinoa Fruit Salad
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Super Easy Crab Salad
Ingredients
- ¼ cup almonds toasted sliced
- 2 cups celery (cut on a bias)
- 1 cup imitation crab gluten-free
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise (We used Japanese Kewpie Brand but can exchange with vegan or gluten-free Mayo as desired)
- 1 tsp curry powder dried
- ⅓ cup edamame beans (shelled)
- salt and white pepper to taste
- ⅓ cup peas thawed, previously frozen
- 8 romaine lettuce leaves optional
Instructions
- Add sliced almonds to a dry pan and toast until just slightly toasty around 2 minutes . Remove from pan and allow to cool.
- In a medium bowl, add celery, imitation crab meat, mayonnaise, curry powder, edamame beans, salt , white pepper to taste, frozen peas and toss.
- Lay out your lettuce cups on a plate, spoon in the crab salad and top with roasted almonds. (Optional) or just enjoy as is or on top of cracker or in a sandwich.
- Enjoy!
Oh, hand me a crisp lettuce leaf and any tasty combination of ingredients and I'll roll it all up with the greatest of anticipation ! Seafood and curry simply cannot be bettered ! Twp things 'my way' - I am not fond of the locally available imitation crab and, tho' it surely tastes good, do not use much mayonnaise of any kind . . . but friends do bring the 'teak' stuff from the Sydney fish markets and enriched yogurts fit the bill also . . . ! Yummy !!!
Hi there Eha, if you can get your hands on fresh crab that is the way to go! This flavor profile is very traditional Japanese with the curry with Kewpie mayo mix. Actually, this is one of our Japanese friends recipe. The only main difference is the price of celery is so much higher in Japan then it is here, so they may use a little less. We bet this would be lovely with a plain Greek yogurt instead of mayo as well.
What a great dish! The crunch of the celery blends so well with the texture of the crab. Ouch though. This must be a decadent dish in Japan!
No doubt! 100 yen per stalk a little steep... (Takai desu) Thank you Abbe.
Oh my - what a scrumptious crab salad! I'd be happy with plain crab - but good golly - this would make my tastebuds sing! BTW - I am sorry I haven't visited recently, today when I typed your site in I ended up here - you've changed your site - it looks great!
Thank you Shashi! Yes, we have rebranded to Healthy World Cuisine (HWC) Magazine. So glad the redirects are working...LOL Wishing you a super weekend.
I love this kind of crab salad, it's healthy and tasty. Adding curry is such a great idea.
Thank you Gerlinde. I love the ratio of vegetables to crab. It makes it lighter than traditional crab salads. Happy travels!
Thank you Gerlinde, wW love that little kick from the curry powder. It is not spicy just flavorful.
That crab salad is so beautiful. Colorful dishes always make me happy - and hungry.
Thanks Maureen. My dear friend Chieko-san made this dish for me once and I just fell in love with it. Wishing you a super week.
Thank you dear. Wishing you a super week.
I love things with curry powder and this is the kind of menu I need to be planning now as spring is here and we're thinking along the lines of eating fresher. This looks so attractive and flavorful. Thanks for the inspiration!
This is such a nice and flavorful salad Bobbi...I like that it is colorful and with all kind of textures...like that you served over green leaves.
Have a wonderful week ahead 🙂
Thanks Juliana, it is like a little party going on in your mouth with all of the fun textures. Wishing you a super week!
Thank you Julia, we are just loving this recipe from Chieko-san, so easy and delicious.
Mmmm, crab. Love its flavor! And the imitation stuff can be pretty good. We're eating tons of salad at the moment, so this is the ideal recipe for us. Thanks!
Thanks John! We are loving that kick from the curry powder in this recipe. Finally Mother Nature is starting to warm up and a great time to enjoy some salads. Take care