Name: Imitation Crab Salad Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Ingredients: 2 cups imitation crab sticks (chopped); 1 cup corn (canned sweet corn); 1 cup chopped pickles; 1/3 cup light mayonnaise; 1/3 cup Greek yogurt; 1/2 salt (or more to taste); 1 tbsp vinegar; pinch of garlic powder; 1-2 tbsp chopped fresh dill (optional)

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Imitation Crab Salad Recipe – a crunchy, creamy and flavorful combination of imitation crab meat sticks, pickles, corn and a light garlicky mayo-yogurt dressing. Spread on toast, bread buns or just serve as an appetizer.

It has been a very long time since I made this salad imitation crab (Surimi) salad. I’ve never been a huge fan of imitation crab meat, but I can have it in a salad like this, paired with some bread.

This is a pretty inexpensive seafood salad, that you can make in 10 minutes, then use for sandwiches, as a side salad or an appetizer.

Not the typical seafood salad, that you grew up with in the US.

This crab salad has some European twist. The is a seafood salad I grew up with in Europe. Back then, the only way we knew to prepare krab sticks was either in a salad like this or breaded and fried.

A white bowl with pickles, corn, imitation crab meat and yogurt dressing

Yes, there is seafood inside this salad. Imitation crab is made from surimi, which is minced fish flesh — often pollock. It that has been deboned and washed, then combined with other ingredients (starches, heated and formed into crab-like cuts.

Instead of celery, I used pickles. The dressing is not sweet, but there is sweetness in the salad coming from the sweet canned corn. Some people add chopped hard boiled eggs in the salad, but I prefer to skip them. Eggs overpower the crab flavor and in my recipe, the flavors and textures are well balanced.

What is imitation crab meat?

Imitation crab meat is first produced and patented in Japan in 1974 and called Kanikama. It was “flaked” type of meat. A few years later, they were introduced internationally. You can find them if a few different shapes and forms: Krab Sticks, Ocean Sticks, Sea Legs and Imitation Crab Sticks. I’m currently in Europe, and the ones I got here were called “Surimi Sticks”.

The reason they are called Krab sticks, not Crab is because they really don’t have any crab inside.

These sticks are made from white fish, fillers and binding ingredients like wheat/starches and egg whites.

What is imitation crab meat used for?

Since it is low in calories, you can add it to salads, soups or use for sandwiches (soft bread buns filled with krab). It really adds a great flavor to a creamy salad like this. I’ve seen it used in sushi rolls or in recipes where it is sautéed with some veggies. I need to try this asap!

Nutritionally, real crab meat is best for all recipes, but it comes with a price.

The krab sticks I’m using today are easy to find at most supermarkets for a fraction of the cost for real crab meat (leg or claw).

Ingredients for this Surimi sticks salad:

Salad

2 cups imitation crab sticks, chopped
1 cup corn (canned sweet corn)
1 cup chopped pickles

Dressing:

1/3 cup light mayonnaise
1/3 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 salt (or more to taste)
1 tbsp vinegar
pinch of garlic powder
1-2 tbsp chopped fresh dill (optional)

How long to keep this imitation crab salad in the fridge for?

Once made, this seafood salad could be kept in the fridge for up tp 4-5 days in an air tight container.

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