This crab salad recipe is made with a delicious blend of imitation crab, celery, and onions mixed in a creamy mayonnaise dressing.
Serve it over lettuce, with crackers, or on a croissant.

Crab salad has always been one of my favorite pick-up and go dishes from the deli.
It is great to munch on as a snack or eat as a no fuss light lunch.
However, making it at home is so easy and much cheaper.
On a hot summer day, serve this creamy crab salad with Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad and Tomato Cucumber Salad for a complete "Cold Plate" meal.
Or top it on crackers for an appetizer or snack. I hope you enjoy!
Watch how to make crab salad
Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make crab salad.
- imitation crab meat- Crab flakes or crab legs will work. The crab flakes are easier to shred apart for the salad.
- mayonnaise- Use real mayonnaise not Miracle Whip.
- sour cream
- celery
- red onion-You can substitute with green onion.
- chives-If you are substituting the red onion with green onions, you can omit the chives and add Italian parsley for a little extra flavor.
- Old Bay Seasoning-You can substitute with salt and pepper.
- celery salt-This gives the crab salad an extra bite of flavor. It is optional.
- dill-I use dried dill weed, but you can use fresh dill weed.
*Full recipe with measurements is located at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.
Tip
Tip: To make Seafood Salad, substitute half of the crab meat for 1 lb of small cold cooked shrimp. Follow the remaining ingredients and directions.
Steps
Follow these simple steps to make crab salad.
- Shred imitation crab meat and add to a large mixing bowl. You can shred the crab by hand. Or gently shred the imitation crab in a bowl with a hand mixer on low setting.
- Add finely diced celery, red onion, and chives to the crab meat and mix.
- In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, sour cream, dill, Old Bay seasoning, and celery salt.
- Add mayonnaise dressing to the crab meat and mix. You can serve immediately, but it is best to chill an hour or more before serving.
How long does crab salad last in the fridge?
Store crab salad in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
What is Old Bay Seasoning?
Old Bay Seasoning is a spice mix to season seafood. You will find it in the spice section in your grocery store.
Or you can make your own Old Bay Seasoning from scratch.
How did your crab salad turn out? Please leave me a comment below if you make this and tell me what you thought about it. I would love to hear back, and so would my readers.
Also post a picture of your creamy salad on Instagram or Facebook, and tag @aforkstale with #aforkstale hashtags! I will share with my followers! xoxo!
Recipe
Crab Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound imitation crab meat crab flakes or crab legs
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ½ cup celery finely diced
- 3 tablespoons red onion finely diced
- 2 tablespoons chives finely diced
- ½ teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon dill weed
- ⅕ teaspoon celery salt (optional)
Instructions
- Shred imitation crab meat and add to a large mixing bowl. You can shred the crab by hand. Or gently shred the imitation crab in a bowl with a hand mixer on low setting.1 pound imitation crab meat
- Add finely diced celery, red onion, and chives to the crab meat and mix.½ cup celery, 3 tablespoons red onion, 2 tablespoons chives
- In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, sour cream, dill, Old Bay seasoning, and celery salt.⅓ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup sour cream, ½ teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning, ½ teaspoon dill weed, ⅕ teaspoon celery salt
- Add mayonnaise dressing to the crab meat and mix. You can serve immediately, but it is best to chill an hour or more before serving.