King Crab Salad with Grilled Avocado
Sweet, sinful and delicious; Alaskan King Crab is a treat worth indulging in as often as possible! For a perfect lighter bite, this King Crab Salad recipe with grilled avocados hits the spot.
Alaskan King Crab…Nothing Better!
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, if I had to pick a perfect bite of 1 food with nothing added to it, Alaskan King Crab is hands down my favorite. There are some amazing fruits out there (like fresh mango or Hawaiian pineapple) that run a close second…but, nothing beats that crab for me. Even chocolate! It’s my favorite bite of food on the planet.
Fortunately in Alaska, King Crab is pretty easy to come by. It’s still expensive even up here, but so worth the occasional splurge. And with many of the larger retailers like Costco or Sam’s Club carrying it for special occasions, it’s widely available around the globe.
But, if you are unable to get a hold of this delicacy, by all means substitute a different species of crab like Dungeness or even lobster. And dare I even suggest it? There are imitation products available. Seriously though, if possible get real crab. You won’t regret it!
Grilled Avocado
So why add this. Well, I love avocados, and grilling them takes this dish to another level. I had to laugh when we were testing this recipe. We first played around with several sauce variations and had the king crab salad mixed and chilling in the fridge before we hit the grill. The kids were snooping around, wondering what was going on as most crab we eat is steamed via microwave, or pot and served with lemon and melted butter.
My sometimes seafood skeptical daughter Summer was looking at the combination when we put the dish together like, “You have got to be kidding me, I’m not trying that!”. With a little coercion, she did. And her facial expression was priceless! I wish I had a picture. To quote Christmas Vacation, she wouldn’t have been more surprised if she’d woken up with her head sewn to the carpet. I believe her exact words were, “Oh my gosh, this is good!!!”
King Crab Salad
And it is delicious. This really is a refreshing dish! In combination with the sweet crab and smooth avocado, we added a pop of jalapeno, crunch of green pepper and onion, tang of lemon and some complimentary seafood spices. What we didn’t add is a ton of dressing! King Crab Salad doesn’t need it, let the fresh ingredients be the stars.
In addition to being a great “salad”, this recipe would also make an amazing King Crab Roll. Trust me, it’s addicting…one bite and you might just be volunteering for the Bering Sea! Try it out, and let me know what you think.
Cheers,
Janet
King Crab Salad with Grilled Avocado
Ingredients
For the Crab Salad:
- 1 1/2 lbs. King Crab Meat, cooked & shelled
- 1/4 c. Mayonnaise
- 1/8 c. Mexican Crema
- 2 Tbsp. Green Pepper
- 2 Tbsp. Green Onion
- 1/2-1 Tbsp. Jalapeno
- 1 Tbsp. Cilantro, fresh
- 1/4 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
- Juice of 1/2 Lemon
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Avocados:
- 3-4 Avocados ,Ripe, medium
- Olive Oil
- Lemon Juice
- Salt to taste
Instructions
For the Crab Salad:
- Dice green peppers, green onions; deseed and dice jalapeno.
- Cut crab meat into desired bite size pieces.
- Mix crab meat and fresh veggies together in a bowl.
- In a separate bowl, mix mayonnaise, Mexican crema, Old Bay Seasoning, and lemon juice.
- Pour dressing over crab and veggies, then mix together.
- Allow to chill if desired for ~ 1/2 hour, then salt and pepper to taste.
For the Grilled Avocado:
- Turn the grill on medium-high to high heat.
- Cut avocados in half and remove pit.
- Drizzle lemon juice over avocado halves.
- Brush with olive oil.
- Place flesh side down on the grill, and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Remove and sprinkle with salt.
- To assemble, spoon chilled king crab salad onto avocado halves in desired amount. Garnish with cilantro, serve with a lemon wedge, and enjoy!
Notes
- If unable to find Alaskan King Crab, substitute other crab meat such as Dungeness or Lobster. (In a desperate pinch, use imitation crab.)
- If in defrosting cooked crab there is excessive liquid after shelling, pat crab dry with paper crab.
- Use amount of jalapeno desired to achieve the spice level you want.
Avocados are one of my favourite foods. And this looks very tasty! Photographs are beautiful too!
Thank you! Avocados are one of my favorites too and the creamy texture just pops against the fresh crab salad.
This looks beautiful, both are looks aaand of coursea I bet it tastes even more beautiful 🙂
This salad was excellent!
Personnally not a fan of green bell peppers, so I used (very lightly) roasted red, yellow and orange bell peppers.
I served this dish on a bed of arugula, with a side of sliced heirloom tomatoes and burrata. EXCELLENT!
Glad you enjoyed it!