Thai Pomelo Crab Salad Avocados are filled with delicate pink juicy pomelo fruits, crab meat and tossed with a simple spicy Thai salad dressing and served in portable avocado boats.
Healthy eating has never been so simple
These delicious Thai Pomelo Crab Salad Avocados are great for picnics and even lunches on the go. You can make the crab and pomelo mixture in advance and then cut your avocados in half upon arrival and fill with your delicious salad mixture. Clean up is a snap as you even eat your avocado bowls.
Thai Pomelo Crab Salad Avocados are our favorite Portable Salad
Pomelos are high in vitamin C, potassium and magnesium. Avocados are full of heart healthy fats and low in carbohydrates. If you use fresh crab meat, this recipe is even paleo friendly.
You are just going to love these Thai Pomelo Crab Salad Avocados as there is an explosion of flavor and textures. The pomelo fruit just bursts in your mouth with a sweet but tangy flavor almost like the cross between a grapefruit and a sweet orange. The delicate crab meat with the zesty Thai dressing will waken your taste buds. Then once you hit that creamy avocado, you can’t wait to finish the whole darn thing.
The best part of making these Thai Pomelo Crab Salad Avocados is that this recipe is super adaptable. Please feel free to exchange with whatever you have on hand. If you do not have pomelos at your grocery store, you could use a grapefruit and one small orange instead and this salad would be just as lovely.
The delicately sweet crab meat as a contrast to the tangy but sweet citrus. I used a gluten-free imitation crab but you could also use freshly steamed crab meat with the shells picked over and this dish would even be better. You could also use tinned crab meat, if you desire. You could even exchange with fresh steamed lobster, but then please make sure that you make extra as I will be on my way over to your house!
Can you see the individual pieces of the pomelo fruit? They almost look like tear drops.
Thai Spicy Salad Dressing
The Thai spicy dressing is going to rock your world as it is super easy to make and you probably have everything in your refrigerator right now to make it. Simple caramelized shallots and garlic with a pinch of Thai bird chilis to taste, lemon and salt and pepper to taste. How simple is that? If you do not have Thai bird chilis you could use any chilis you have on hand, even a jalapeño or dried chili flakes or none at all if you prefer this dish mild.
Tips for Success
Of course, with each and every bite you have the creamy and silky avocado with the salad that makes this Thai Pomelo Crab Salad Avocados complete. The healthy fats from the avocado make you feel full and satisfied. The most important advice that I can give you while making this dish is to make sure that you sprinkle lemon juice thoroughly over your avocados to prevent the oxidation process. This dish is really beautiful when on display with its bright green avocado and pink pomelo and crab. All you need is a fork and a spoon and you are in business.
Have you ever eaten a pomelo fruit?
It looks like a gigantic grapefruit and they are native to South East Asia. The exterior is sometimes light green from Thailand or yellow when they come from China. The interior of the fruit is light pink/yellow from Thailand and just light yellow when from China. Thai pomelos are the best and so juicy and sweet.
Do you know how to segment a pomelo fruit?
It is really important that your segment the pomelo (or grapefruit/oranges) as you do not want any of the segment skin in the salad. Here is a quick step by step on how to segment a pomelo.
If you prefer, check out this cool video below to show you how to segment a pomelo. Fast forward the video to the 2-minute mark to learn the traditional way to segment a pomelo.
All of these different textures and flavors make this Thai Pomelo Crab Salad Avocado a really unique recipe and perfect for any type of gathering. Baby showers, wedding showers, graduation parties are all coming up and now you are prepared with an easy and fun dish to pass.
If you are looking for other Thai inspired recipes, please try our Turmeric Pork Skewers with Thai Basil Dipping Sauce, Grilled Flank Steak with Thai Style Chimichurri Sauce or how about an appetizer of Gluten-Free Thai Shrimp Pancakes.
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Thai Pomelo Crab Salad Avocados
Ingredients
- 1 pomelo large (1.5 cups) segmented and pulled apart to small pieces (can exchange with 1 large grapefruit and 1 medium orange)
- 1 shallots
peeled and chopped finely - 2 cloves garlic peeled and chopped finely
- 1 cup crab meat
gluten-free imitation crab or steamed fresh crab picked over for shells) - 2 tbsp coconut oil
melted or olive oil if you prefer (I love that tropical flavor with the coconut oil) - 2 tbsp lemon juice
(extra lemon to prepare the avocados) You can also use limes but I only had lemons on hand - 1 Thai chili
finely chopped (to taste) I used a Thai chili but you can use any kind you wish or none at all if you like it mild - salt and pepper
to taste - 2-3 avocados whole
Instructions
- Segment your your pomelo (or grapefruit and oranges), pull apart gently into small pieces and set aside.
- In a small frying pan saute your shallots and garlic in a little bit of olive oil or coconut oil just until aromatic. Set Aside to cool.
- In a medium bowl, add your chopped gluten-free imitation crab-meat or fresh steamed crab meat, picked over for shells. Add the cooled shallots and garlic, pomelo, olive oil (melted coconut oil), lemon juice, chili peppers and salt and pepper to taste. Toss gently to incorporate ingredients. Set aside.
- Cut your avocados in half. Carefully remove the pit a small teaspoon full of the the avocado meat to give more room for the Thai Pomelo Crab Salad. That extra spoonful is a treat for the cook of course! Sprinkle the juice of the lemon inside the avocado to prevent the oxidation process from occurring. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
- Place a few mounding tablespoons of Thai Pomelo Crab Salad in the center of the avocado and mound up high. Enjoy!
What a gorgeous combination of flavors! Crab and avocados are two of my favorite things…perfect together.
Mouth is watering at this very moment looking at these Bobbi! Yum!
This is awesome. I love all those yiu used for the sald. And crab is my favorite. Lovely share
This recipe sounds so delicious and it’s visually stunning!
This is making my mouth water! I love avocado, I love crab meat. It looks super delicious:) I love your photos.
Thank you dear! Wishing you a super week!
This is such an interesting and delicious way to combine pomelo, crab and avocado together! Yum!
Even though I left Louisiana 40 years ago, I still miss the crab. 🙁 When I can find it here it is SO expensive, but well worth with a good recipe and this is a GREAT recipe!
The Pomelo fruit looks so good-I’ve never had that. This sounds like a great dish for the warm-weather seasons!
Wow! Thank you so much for the lesson on the pomelo fruit, Bam! I’d never heard of it, but it looks and sounds so beautiful!
These avocado boats must taste sooo delicate! A perfect example of a food that’s tasty AND super healthy – my favourite!
How absolutely divine and I love what you are serving them on Bam.
Have a wonderful weekend.
🙂 Mandy xo
I’m a fan of pomelo but would never have thought of such a combination. Looks very attractive and tasty!
This is awesome! I’ve eaten my weight in grapefruits but have never tried a pomelo! And I’m always up for avocado (yours were absolutely perfect btw, lucky girl 🙂 ) and crab. Must try this…
I have been on an avocado kick and filling them with crab salad sounds like a most divine way to enjoy them!!!
I love crab meat and these little baskets are just the perfect appetizer! Pinned and stumbled!
Not a huge fan of crab, but prawn or perhaps salmon or chicken would work wonderfully too. Cant wait to try this beautiful salad! Now to find me a pomelo fruit? Guess I could sub with grapefruit and orange segments huh?
Stuffing avocado with anything makes me happy, this Pomelo crab salad looks like heaven. I love pomelo, so happy it’s in season right now.
Buona sera, BAM! Until I watched the video, I thought pomelos were much smaller than they actually are. (Wikipedia’s photos were so tiny.) Having seen the video, I do think that I’ve seen them. Now the question is where? Thanks for suggesting substitutes. This sounds like a wonderful dish and will be welcome later once summer’s heat takes hold.
WOW! One of the beautiful salad I have seen. Looks so delicious and healthy!
Such a unique and healthy looking dish! Love the addition of pomelos! Also- I have been craving avocado like none other recently, so the idea of using it as a “bowl” seems super appealing.. 😉
This is so incredibly creative! Looks like the ultimate appetizer 🙂
I love this! I must admit that my peeled pomelos do not look as pretty as yours, though I will try your method! Have lots of avocados, so I will try the peeling again!
You leveled up on this one! Such a nice combination of odd ingredients as I never imagined these together, but I bet they all work really well together. Nice flavours and texture on one bite.
Thank you Raymund. There is nothing like a little recipe testing in Healthy World Cuisine to make me a happy camper. I love these kind of salads that just have you going back for just one more bite..well maybe one more bite until you have polished off the whole batch..
Ok, so crab doesn’t like me so much, but these look so beautiful, I may need to do this with chicken salad!
You could so exchange with grilled chicken if you have a shell fish allergy. Experiment and have fun!
Yes, well, that pomelo may be a bit of a problem where I live . . . may have to be ‘boring’ ‘other’ citrus!! But the rest is just beautiful!! . . . .Like the unusual use of coconut oil . . . actually can’t wait to try!!!
Grapefruit and oranges will be beautiful in this recipe. I hope you like the addition of coconut oil as it really gives it a really delicious tropical flavor. Of course it would not be Thai without the addition of the bird chili. Still feeling the burn from earlier today… even after washed my hands a million times must still have had the smallest amount of chili oil under my finger nail and then scratched my itchy eye.. Well my eye is not exactly “itchy”anymore… LOL
Hmmm! As long as you learned your lesson and did not touch any of the other body parts 😀 !!! [Apologies: could not resist!]
LOL… 🙂
That looks beautiful, healthy and refreshing! I’m obsessed with avocados. Hope your Easter was wonderful!
Thank you Jas, this is a really refreshing salad that really hits the spot now that spring has finally sprung. I love avocados too. Thank goodness they are good for you!
Wow! What an awesome looking salad and love how full of good health this is. Love that beautiful videe. Hope you had awesome holidays.
Thank you Anu! Don’t you just love when something delicious is actually good for you. One happy little accident! Wishing you a super week!
This is indeed healthy eating and in a delicious way to eat healthy too. Another good idea, Bobbi. Have good week. 🙂
Thank you Ray! Any excuse to use some bird chilis, right? Wishing you a super week!