This delicious deli-style seafood salad is made with imitation crab meat, celery, and other common ingredients. It is delicious by itself, on a salad, or in a sandwich.
Seafood salad made with imitation crab meat is one of my favorite deli salads. I grew up working in a deli for roughly 7 years and learned a lot of tips and tricks from my first real job.
It used to be my job to process the imitation crab meat and make the salad. We used some simple pantry spices, a blend of mayo, salad dressing, and fresh celery. The salad was so easy to make and was such a hit among the customers.
But I often get the question- Why use imitation crab meat–that stuff is gross?! Of course, real crab meat is the best and I do have a Real Crab Meat Salad recipe.
What is imitation crab meat?
Imitation crab meat is made of processed fish. It is similar to “bologna” in that it is made of bits and pieces of surimi.
Surimi is the flesh if fish that is cleaned, fat removed, and any bones. It it then turned into a paste-like substance and pressed into crab shapes or in this cake flake style.
What is seafood salad?
Seafood salad is typically a creamy, imitation crab meat based recipe that features fresh celery, mayo, and spices. It is best served on greens, or in a sandwich, or wrap.
Do you need to cook imitation crab?
The good thing about imitation crab meat is that you do not need to cook it. While it does taste delicious cooked in recipes like this Crab Meat Casserole, it is not necessary and can be eaten right out of the package.
Ingredients you will need
Imitation crab meat- 2 lbs of chunk or flake style. It doesn’t matter if you buy it freshly packaged or frozen. Just be sure it is fully thawed before processing.
Mayonnaise – This recipe calls for a blend of mayo and salad dressing which is most popularly known as Miracle Whip.
Celery- Fresh celery pureed to a fine consistency gives this salad a nice crunch and flavor. We used a food processor to get it to a fine consistency.
Spices- For best taste, you will need a little salt, black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.
Pro tips
Using a food processor to chop your crab meat and celery is a huge time-saver! You will only need to pulse the seafood for a few seconds. You want it to be fine, but not pasty.
Ways to serve
This seafood salad is delicious in the following ways:
- Eaten alone
- Stuffed in peppers
- On a salad/bed of green
- Finger sandwiches/subs
- Pockets/wraps
For the celery, be sure to slightly drain the excess liquid before adding it to your salad.
Crab meat recipes
Seafood Salad
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. imitation crab meat chunk or flake style
- 3/4 cup Mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup salad dressing (Miracle Whip or store brand)
- 1/2 cup celery chopped
- 1 tbsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tbsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Instructions
- Process crab meat in a food processor until finely chopped, but not pasty.
- Process celery until fine and remove excess liquid.
- Add crab, celery, mayo, dressing, and spices to a large bowl.
- Combine all ingredients until mixed.
- Cover bowl tightly and refrigerate until chilled- about 2 hours.
- Serve in a sub rolls, on salad, or in a wrap.
I love seafood salad. I prefer adding crawfish tails to mine as well as Tabasco mash. Soooooo good! Yummy!
this is so good on a hot dog roll that is buttered and then pan toasted. Yum
Hello, You sure can! That would be yummy!
I just saw this recipe shared on Facebook. Is it possible to add some cooked shrimp to this?
Hi Dustin, That sounds really good!! I love the flavor pairings!
I did something similar 16 oz meat 4 celery stalks 4 pieces garlic 1 dill pickle 1/4 cup red onion but the dressing is 1/4 cup 1000 islands 1/2 cup mayo juice from 1 lemon 1 table salt and pepper mix 1/2 teaspoon dill 1/2 teaspoon old bay and a quarter teaspoon Chipotle I made it for a special where I work
I like to blanch snow peas, remove the “string” and open them like little canoes. Fill them with this seafood salad and you have a stunning appetizer!
Thank you, so much for sharing! I love the imitation way more than fresh too!
I’ve been making this salad for years! The imitation crab is so good, I end up eating a bunch of it before it ever gets into the salad! It’s also cheaper that fresh crab, and I almost like it better!
Perfect for a hot summer evening! We love it stuffed in tomatoes! I also add a couple of green onions too.
These remind me of summer. My son loves these, thank you for making life easy!
I love this seafood salad! It is so fresh tasting and easy to make and perfect for summer afternoons! I love having it on salad.
This sounds incredible! We’ll be making this weekend
This is such an amazingly easy and delicious salad. And there is no cooking involved too, which is super great on hot days like today. :)
This seafood salad sounds terrific. Some time ago, I tried the combination of imitation of crab meat and celery, and I loved it. I love your recipe with the same combo that I am going to make ASAP.