Thai Crab Avocado Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette

5 from 3 votes

Stay cool with this Thai Crab Avocado Salad! Made with gluten-free crab, creamy avocado, and zesty grapefruit vinaigrette.

Prep Time15

Total Time15

Course: Mains, Sides

Cuisine: Thai

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Calorie, Low Lactose

Servings: people

Calories: 381kcal

1 large grapefruit peeled and segmented (Reserve the scraps from peeling to squeeze 2 tablespoons of grapefruit juice. This juice will be used in the vinaigrette)
8 ounces crab meat gluten-free imitation crab, canned crab or steamed fresh crab picked over for shells. Cut or pulled into bite sized pieces.
1 cup cucumber chopped
2 large avocados either chopped and tossed into the salad or halved to serve the Thai crab salad inside the avocado.
2 cups arugula (rocket) or a mixture of julienned sliced cabbage and carrots is extra delicious.
2 tablespoons cilantro (coriander) roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic peeled and finely minced.
2 Thai bird chili (or to taste) seeds removed and finely chopped or any chili pepper you wish. Hold for a mild dressing.
2 tablespoons grapefruit juice freshly squeezed from the reserved grapefruit peel and pith.
2 tablespoons lime juice freshly squeezed or juice from 1 lime
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil or light flavored oil
1.5 tablespoons honey or maple syrup to taste
salt and pepper
to taste

Peel and segment grapefruit. (Reserve the peel and the pith as we will use 2 tablespoons of the grapefruit juice for the grapefruit vinaigrette). * See Notes below
Squeeze the grapefruit peels and pith to extract about 2 tablespoons of grapefruit juice into a small bowl. Then, add minced garlic, finely chopped Thai chili peppers (or chilis of choice), fresh lime juice, fish sauce, honey and oil to the same bowl. Stir well to mix and set aside. * See Notes
Chop cucumbers and prepare 2 cups veggies of choice such as rocket (arugula) or julienned cabbage and carrots - love that extra crunch!

Option 1 - Tossed as a Salad: Peel and chop the avocado and add to a large bowl. Then, add the prepared crab meat, chopped cucumbers, grapefruit segments, 2 cups rocket (arugula) or prepared veggies of choice and chopped cilantro to the bowl. Drizzle the grapefruit vinaigrette dressing over the top and toss the salad. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with toasted sunflower seeds.
Option 2 - Served in an Avocado Cup. 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 Crab Salad. (That extra spoonful is a treat for the cook of course!) Hint: if you cut a little portion off the bottom of the avocado half they will stand upright and not tip over.
In a large bowl, add the prepared crab meat, chopped cucumbers, grapefruit segments, 2 cups rocket (arugula) or prepared veggies of choice and chopped cilantro to the bowl. Drizzle the grapefruit vinaigrette dressing over the top and toss the salad. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with toasted sunflower seeds. Place a few mounding tablespoons of Thai Crab Salad in the center of the avocado and mound up high. Enjoy!

Recipe Tips

Remove the grapefruit peel and then just slice instead of segmenting them – if this is an easier option for you.
2 cups of Veggies of Choice: We actually prefer julienned sliced cabbage and carrots to rocket (arugula) but we are all about use what you have on hand camp!
Substitute easier to find chili peppers like jalapeno or serrano peppers. Skip them all together, if you prefer a mild dressing.
Taste the salad dressing BEFORE you dress the salad as every grapefruit is different in it's sweetness and so are your taste buds. If you want it more sweet, add more honey. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Don’t add the salad dressing to the Thai crab avocado salad until you are ready to serve. Otherwise, it will get soggy.
If you wish to make avocado boats to serve the salad in, cut off the bottom so they sit flat on a plate.
To make this imitation crab recipe in advance, make the Thai grapefruit vinaigrette and toss together all the salad ingredients, except the avocado. When ready to serve, slice the avocado and drizzle on the salad dressing.