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Author:
Tracy Nawara
Freshly canned crab meat is some of the tastiest seafood that you can find in a package. Canned crab, tuna, and salmon are all great pantry items to keep in the cupboard for a quick rainy day lunch. There are so many recipes to make with high-quality canned seafood including fritters, po’boys, tuna melts, and seafood salads.
One of the best seafood salad recipes for a quick lunch is this Easy Crab and Avocado Salad Recipe! It is full of whole lump crab meat, avocado, cucumber, and pickled red onions in a mayo/avocado sauce. This crunchy and bright salad is perfect for serving inside a lettuce cup for a perfectly healthy lunch that takes less than 10 minutes.
Pickled red onions are briny and tart in the salad, but you can use freshly chopped red onions instead if that’s what you have. For a more well-rounded salad, jalapeno is a crunchy addition that adds a nice spice. Jalapeno and crab are a delicious combination, so be sure to use this spicy element in your crab salad.
The foundation of this recipe is high-quality lump crab meat. It is perfectly acceptable to use leftover crab meat from last night’s seafood boil, but for the average person, it’s best to find jumbo lump crab meat in a can. Look for a brand that is high-quality and packaged soon after catching. Many specialty food stores have great canned seafood options with whole, fresh lump crab meat freshly canned.
Crab is a rich and tender meat, so it pairs well with fresh, crunchy vegetables. You can use any of your favorite salad ingredients, such as celery or carrot. The recipe as written calls for celery, cucumber, pickled red onion, and avocado. The crunchiness from the celery and cucumber adds a great texture difference to the crab salad.
Having a great sauce is the perfect way to ensure your crab salad is delicious. Mayo is a very common addition to any seafood salad, so it is used here. Using a high-quality cage-free egg mayonnaise here so that it offers the best flavor possible. The mayo is also mixed with mashed avocado for even more creaminess and beautiful green color.
Once the salad is all mixed, it is perfectly delicious to eat on its own for lunch. You can eat it with your favorite crackers or bread, but it’s best served in a lettuce wrap. The freshness from the crunchy lettuce plays with the salad so well, so go for the lettuce wrap when serving.
Serve this salad for a casual lunch when you need a quick and healthy option with lots of flavors. The crab and vegetables are super healthy and satisfying, keeping you full until dinnertime. Healthy avocado gives you your daily source of Omega-3s, fueling you with healthy ingredients.
Drain your lump crab meat and add it to a bowl, being careful to not break up the crab meat. Use high-quality crab meat here since it is the main ingredient in the salad.
Add your diced cucumber, celery, pickled red onions, and jalapeno to the bowl with the crab meat.
Mash your avocado with a fork in a separate bowl until it is fairly smooth. Add it to the crab mixture along with the mayo, honey, and lime juice. Fold everything together carefully to keep the crab meat together. The lime juice will keep the avocado from browning in the salad.
Lastly, add the cilantro and salt. Give everything one final stir.
Serve in fresh Bibb lettuce leaves and eat taco-style.
