Creamy Seafood Crab Salad Recipe | Easy Fresh Seafood Lunch Bowl Idea
A fresh, creamy crab and shrimp salad with crisp veggies and a tangy herb dressing that’s perfect for bowls, wraps, or lettuce cups. Quick to make and ideal for meal prep.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Lump crab meat, picked over for shells, drained
- Small cooked shrimp (50/60 count), tails removed, roughly chopped
- Celery, finely diced
- English cucumber, seeded and diced small
- Red bell pepper, diced
- Red onion or shallot, minced
- Mayonnaise
- Plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
- Dijon mustard
- Fresh lemon juice
- Lemon zest
- Old Bay or seafood seasoning
- Fresh dill, chopped
- Fresh chives, chopped
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Capers (optional)
- Avocado, diced (optional, fold in before serving)
- Baby arugula or mixed greens (for serving, optional)
- Cooked quinoa or chilled rice (optional)
Instructions
Instructions
- Drain the crab well and pick through to remove any shell fragments, then keep it chilled.
- Pat the cooked shrimp dry and chop into bite-size pieces, then keep chilled.
- Finely dice the celery, seed and dice the cucumber, dice the red bell pepper, and mince the red onion or shallot.
- In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, lemon zest, Old Bay or seafood seasoning, chopped dill, and chives, then season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Gently fold the crab and shrimp into the dressing with a spatula to avoid breaking up the crab lumps.
- Stir in the celery, cucumber, red bell pepper, and onion; add capers if using, then taste and adjust lemon, salt, and pepper.
- Cover and refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes to set the texture and let the flavors meld.
- Serve over greens, in lettuce cups, or on toast; fold in diced avocado just before serving and add cooked quinoa or rice if desired.
Notes
Keep the salad cold and avoid overmixing to preserve crab pieces. Drain crab well and seed cucumber to prevent excess moisture. Store in an airtight container and enjoy within 2–3 days; do not freeze. Adjust seasoning after adding capers or seafood seasoning to avoid oversalting. For dairy-free, use all mayonnaise or dairy-free yogurt.