Crab Salad - Chef Matt Video Recipe

 Next to lobster, fresh boiled crab is the most luxurious seafood. My nephew, Chef Matt is back with a simple but luscious Crab Salad.

On a visit to Louisiana to see Mom, we came into a few cooked crabs supplied by another nephew, Zak, who worked with a seafood distributor, so the wholesale price was right. The crab's outer shells are removed along with the insides (lungs, gills, etc.). What is left is called a Crab Cluster which includes legs, claws, and the body.

Normally, raw whole crabs are covered in seasoned water (using a package of Crab or Seafood Boil) and boiled for about 15 to 20 minutes. 

Click on any photo to see larger.

When we picked and cleaned half a dozen boiled Crab Clusters there was about a pound of crab meat to work with.

Before the 99c only Stores shut down this year, I managed to nap a few 6-ounce cans of Crab Meat for $1.99 each. Oh well, this may be the last crab I have for a while unless my ship comes in! 

I am a fan of fake Krab. It has the flavor of cooked crab but at bargain basement prices. So if you are a cheap$kate like me, and want to try your hand at a Crab Salad, why not first try it with Krab? My last recipe using Krab was for a Cerviche, and it was a tasty one I make during warm summer patio parties, click here to see how I do it. 

You could also skip all the hard work of peeling a crab body and crab claws with a container or two of picked and cleaned Lump Crabmeat. 

If you use crabmeat in the shell, it takes work to get the flesh out. Now, the crab claws are not too hard to work with, think of them as a pecan or walnut in the shell, break the crab claws with a nutcracker. Crack the claws close to the pincher or joints so when the shell is pulled apart you will reveal the flesh, then it's fairly easy to remove in a large piece. 

The hard part is removing flesh from the body of a crab. Once cooked and cooled, the body is broken into a couple of segments, and then you probe and scrape the white chambers with a small fork and butter knife to remove the tender and sweet flakes of flesh.  

Zak and the Swamp Chef were the designated crab peelers so we made quick time of it, even the Swamp Chef picked, I mean, pitched in.

Same as a typical Tuna Salad, Crab Salad has chopped celery and onion, pickle relish, mayo, mustard, and a squeeze of lemon juice. The main adjustment is how much mayo you will add. It can be creamy or go lite and add less mayo.

 Crab meat will spoil, so it's best to keep it refrigerated until preparation. Keep the finished Crab Salad chilled. Serve on a salad or as a sandwich. I like it on a cracker.

Join my Cajun family and get out any fave crackers, or toasty grain bread, and spread on Chef Matt's creamy and rich (flavor and moneywise) Crab Salad. 

Chef Matt's Crab Salad - VIDEO     Play it here, video runs 5 minutes, 56 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients

• Crab Meat -1 pound cooked and peeled. If using whole crabs about 3-5 crabs depending on size. Okay to use a container of Lump Crabmeat or a package of Krab (Imitation Crab).
• Onion - half cup chopped.
• Celery - half cup chopped.
• Lemon Juice - from 1 or 2 lemons.
• Sweet Pickle Relish - 2 tablespoons.
• Mayonnaise - 1 cup. Add a couple tablespoons at a time to reach the desired creaminess.
• Creole Mustard - 1 tablespoon, optional. Okay to add any favorite mustard.
• Salt and Pepper - to taste.

*Serve Crab Salad with favorite crackers, carrot or celery slices, on a salad, or in a sandwich.

Directions

Containers of Lump Crab Meat are for sale in cans or plastic containers. Okay to use cooked Lump Crab for an easy version. 

The cheapest Crab Salad is made with fake crab or Krab.

For uncooked fresh crabs, boil submerged in water with Seafood Boil for about 15 to 20 minutes. Crab shells will turn bright orange when they are ready.

Peeling cooked crabs takes time and can be a bit tricky. But as with anything, practice makes perfect. Tools include a nutcracker for the shells, and a small fork and butter knife to remove crab meat from shells.

For this recipe, Chef Matt used Dungeness Crab Clusters that were pre-cooked. The outer shell and internal organs were removed. Claws, legs, and body segments were ready to peel.

Once the boiled crabmeat is removed from the shells, make sure to give the meat one more go-over to remove any small shell pieces. To quote Matt: "Nothing worse than biting into a shell."

Add cooked and peeled Crabmeat, celery, and onion to a bowl. Spoon in sweet pickle relish and mayo. Mix well, but use a light touch so you still have some crab chunks.

Add a little mayo at a time to reach desired creaminess. It's up to you how much mayo to add.

You can add mustard or leave it out. I've had it both ways.

Salt and pepper to taste. I add very little salt, as mayo has some already, but I add plenty of pepper.

Chill Crab Salad until ready to eat. 

Serve Crab Salad on favorite crackers, carrot or celery slices, in half an avocado, on a salad, or as a sandwich.

Ceviche (Avocado, Tomato, Black Beans & Krab) - Video Recipe

A cool dish for a hot day is the 99 Cent Chef's Krab Ceviche with black beans, Krab, cucumber, avocado, tomato, onion, and cilantro. Check out my recipe video further down and see how easy and quick it is to make -- and there is no cooking involved!

There are a hundred variations of Ceviche (my own version is here) and I've tried quite a few - from bland American "Acapulco" chain restaurant style with semi-frozen shrimp; or L.A. San Fernando Valley taco truck "lime-cooked" minced fish and chopped onion on a crispy tostada round; to a just-across-the-border scary Tijuana fresh clam ceviche from a local street vendor using "cleaned" clams with juice, chopped onion, lime, and plain ketchup with Salsa Picante - it's actually quite delicious when chased with a cold Corona.

Local Latin markets will carry most Ceviche ingredients. I get onion, cucumber, and cilantro for less than a buck each.

Seafood is expensive so I keep a lookout for sales on imitation crab, or Krab, often for about $1.99 per pound when on sale.

I find small 8-ounce packages of Krab at my local 99c only Store every once in a while. I pick up a few as they freeze well. 

This Budget Chef is a fan of imitation crab or Krab, also known as Surimi (first developed in Japan.) It is firm and shreds easily. Krab is made from fish that is cooked, reformed, and flavored to taste and look like boiled King Crab leg meat. When I shred the Krab I like to leave some bigger pieces in the mix. 

I know that some will not eat Krab because it is cheap and man-made. I've noticed Krab as an ingredient in most supermarket sushi cold cases that carry a California Roll. I have my own California Roll recipe a click away, here.

Other Latin market ingredients all cost well under 99 cents a pound or 99 cents each.  99c only Stores and the Dollar Tree stock canned black beans and tortilla chips.

I bulk up my Krab Ceviche adding black beans and cucumber. The cucumber brings an extra cool crunch and black beans add extra protein and texture (for a vegetarian version leave out the Krab.) You can use any drained canned bean you like including pinto beans. And canned beans are cheap, of course.

Classic Ceviches use lime-cooked shrimp or fish. You drench the seafood in lime juice and let it set in the refrigerator overnight or for a few hours, depending on how "cooked" you like your seafood. Lime juice will firm up the fish and turn the soft shrimp and fish from clear pink to a firm white.

It is important to add lime or lemon juice to a Ceviche with avocado so it stays green. Chopped avocado will eventually turn brown on the edges so it is best to eat the Ceviche in a day or two. I've also made the Ceviche without avocado. 

Also, make sure to drain and rinse the canned beans as the juice will make the Ceviche mushy in appearance and have an overwhelming bean flavor.

So sharpen your knife and chop up a cool Krab Ceviche. It's great for a patio party and travels well to serve as an appetizer...if your friends can handle the Krab.

I often add more Krab than 8 ounces as I list below. You may not like onion, cucumber, tomato, or cilantro, so it's okay to reduce the amounts to suit your taste. 

Krab Ceviche - Video

Play it here, video runs 3 minutes, 58 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients (serves 2-4)

• 8 ounces to 1 pound of Krab - It's up to you how much to add. Sometimes I add a lot of imitation crab and other times not so much.
• 1 chopped onion - any color. I like a red onion when I'm out to impress.
• 2 cups chopped tomato - About 2 large tomatoes.
• 1 cucumber - scoop out seeds and chop. Sometimes I will peel half of the cucumber as the skin can be too bitter.
• 1/2 bunch of cilantro  - chopped. Add as much or as little as you like. 
• 15 oz. can of black beans - rinse & drain.
• Juice of 1 Lime or Lemon.
• Large avocado or 2 to 3 small - chopped.
• 1/2 jalapeno chopped (raw or pickled) - optional. Add a little at a time to reach the desired hotness.
• Tortilla Chips - when I want to impress, my local Latin market carries bags of freshly made chips and they are the best!
• Tostadas -  for an autentic taco truck-style Seafood Tostada.

Directions

First, rinse black beans and drain away any liquid (if the juice from the can remains, it will dull the bright colors and make the ceviche mushy.) 

Shred Krab into bite sizes. I like a few larger pieces so you know what's in the Ceviche.

I hope your knife is sharp -- this recipe involves a lot of chopping. 

Chop tomato and onion. Roughly chop cilantro. 

For a jalapeño remove the seeds and white membrane. Chop 1/4 of jalapeño into small pieces. Be careful handling it and don't touch your face as it can burn your eyes easily - wash hands with soap after handling a jalapeño.

I like to remove seeds from cucumber. Slice it in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. I usually peel half the cucumber as the skin can be bitter.

In a large bowl combine Krab, beans, cilantro, chopped veggies, and avocado.

Add lime or lemon juice. Mix it all together. 

Chill Ceviche for a couple of hours, if you can resist dipping in. This is a great patio party dish on a hot day. Serve with tortilla chips, hot sauce, and ice-cold Cerveza. If you have access to tostada rounds then pile on the Ceviche and make a taco truck-style Seafood Tostada.