During my college years, I worked as a “sampler” at local grocery stores. It sounds more exciting than it was. My father-in-law was the PR rep for a local dairy company. Each weekend I dished out samples of ice cream, milk, cheese, or the dairy product of the week to unsuspecting shoppers.
Week after week I worked with the same sampler ladies from another company. They prepared different foods each week and saved me a small sample for “test-tasting purposes.” One week showcased imitation crab meat. A “quick and easy crab salad” was on the menu. I enjoyed it so much I decided to prepare the recipe at home. When I asked how to make it, Madge laughed. “You won’t believe how easy it is to make this!”
Quick & Easy Crab Salad Recipe
She was right, I could prepare this salad in a jiffy. That was especially important to me as a person juggling an overload of college classes, a job, and my newly married life. Here’s a secret. The local grocery chain still uses this recipe and serves it in their deli salad department. I adapted the original recipe to add some veggies and give it a little more flavor. I usually use imitation crab meat instead of real crab meat (because it is so much cheaper) and everyone still enjoys it.
This recipe is naturally gluten-free and is the perfect dish to serve as the weather begins to get warmer.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- A bag of coleslaw mix
- A bottle of ranch salad dressing
- Onion
- Celery
- Lemon Juice
- Salt
- Pepper
- Crab Meat
Substitutions
- You can use an equal amount of imitation crabmeat for the crabmeat.
- You can use Coleslaw dressing or Blue Cheese dressing instead of Ranch if you prefer.
Additions
Want to make this recipe uniquely your own? Try any or all of these additions.
- diced bell pepper
- Add shredded carrots
- crumbled goat cheese
Preparation Tips:
- You can use homemade ranch dressing in the salad or just do a timesaver like me and use bottled. I usually purchase the higher quality ranch dressing from the refrigerated section.
- You can make this crab salad a day early if you like. It’s actually better that way because it gives the flavors a chance to meld.
- If you prefer a basic version, omit the onion and celery.
Storage:
- This salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Due to the dressing used in the recipe, this dish does not freeze well.
How to Choose Crab Meat:
- According to Bon Appetit, you should purchase “fresh or frozen crab meat rather than canned, which has less flavor.”
Should you use lump or claw crab meat?
It depends on what you are cooking. For the salad, if using real crab meat, choose lump crab meat. This is made of small pieces of lump crab and other small body parts.
Crab claw meat has a stronger flavor and is best used in soups and bisques.
Printable Recipe:
The Easiest Crab Salad Recipe Ever
4
servingsThis is a quick, easy, naturally gluten-free crab salad recipe has only a few ingredients. Prepare it a day in advance for flavors to meld.
Ingredients
1 (16-ounces) bag of shredded coleslaw mix
1 (16 ounces) bottle ranch dressing
1 (16 ounces) package imitation crab meat OR 16 ounces crab meat, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3/4 cup diced celery
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Directions
- In a large bowl, add the coleslaw, onion, and celery. Stir gently until blended.
- Add the ranch dressing, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir until blended.
- Dice the imitation crab meat into small pieces. Gently fold the imitation crab (or an equal amount of real crab meat) into the salad. Cover tightly and chill for up to 24 hours before serving.
This quick and easy crab salad makes a good light lunch served with crackers or a tasty side dish. I always bring home an empty bowl when I take this to potlucks too! Do you have a favorite salad recipe you like to use in the summer?
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Will be sharing this recipe with my mom. She is a big fan of this kind of salad and likes putting a spin on it.
This is a perfect snack for my family! We love crab salad!
I like this quick recipe! And now I know what other recipe to make with the ranch dressing.
This looks really good. I bet it would taste great in the summer months. I’ll save this recipe for later.
I’ll have to try this recipe out for my husband. He loves crab salad but we rarely get it.
This salad is making me long for summer so badly! I’ll make it for our first bbq of the season.
This crab salad looks fabulous! I love how creamy it looks! I am drooling over it!
This looks like a perfect summer lunch idea! My mom would love it.
Yum! Crab salad is one of my favorites. I’m going to definitely try this recipe.
I don’t typically think to make crab salad, but this is going on my shopping list for sure!
Wow!! That DOES sound easy! So awesome. I love a quick crowd pleasing recipe like this.
I’ve never had crab salad before. This recipe would be the perfect side for some of my favorite BBQ recipes.
I bet my kids would like this salad. They enjoy their crab. I wish I liked seafood. The rest of my family devours it.
I have everything to make homemade coleslaw but need to get the crab meat. This does look really good. Something we would totally enjoy eating.
Easy and delicious or two words I love to read. If I can do something that taste this good it was this easy I will definitely make it all the time.
I have not eaten crab lately but my son loves seafood. I have to make this salad for him it does look amazing.
Now I just have to go get me some crab!!
This sounds like a really yummy recipe. I’ve never made a crab salad like this before. I love to make a mix of salads all year around.
Great simple dish. Hope you’ll pop over to Food on Friday: March with this. Cheers