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Putting a little Southern spin on classic New England lobster rolls with this simple and delicious crab roll recipe! Make them ahead if you’re entertaining, or whip up the no-cook meal in about 15 minutes. These easy crab rolls are a delicious lunch or dinner when served alongside coleslaw, potato chips, hush puppies, or pickles!
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New England Crab Roll Recipe
Not to be confused with crab roll sushi! After a lifetime of summer vacations spent on the Vineyard, my mom has mastered the art of the New England lobster roll — served on a buttered, toasted, split hot dog bun with just a touch of mayo to let the lobster shine. Since we live in the southeast, however, where lobster is not exactly easy to come by, I’m putting a Southern spin on one of our favorite meals with this New England-style crab roll recipe.
Crab Roll vs Lobster Roll
This crab roll recipe is almost identical to a New England-style lobster roll, with the exception of the meat. Here we’re using crabmeat rather than lobster meat! In either case, the meat is tossed with just enough mayonnaise to hold it together, and served on a lightly toasted roll.
Is a crab roll cooked?
Other than toasting the bun, there’s no cooking necessary for this quick and easy recipe. I buy refrigerated crab in the seafood section at the grocery store (not the shelf-stable cans near the tuna fish). This crab is fully cooked and ready to use in recipes, so you just need to stir everything together.
Jumbo lump crab meat from Maryland or Virginia blue crabs is the best of the best! While it’s also the most expensive fresh crab meat that you can purchase, it’s well worth the investment for special occasions. Nothing else has the same rich, buttery texture, bright white appearance, and large chunks.
If jumbo lump crab is not available, or if you don’t want to spend that kind of money on a single ingredient, try lump crab meat, “special” crab meat that includes the smaller pieces of white meat from the body of the crab, or even claw meat. Pick whichever option is available and best suits your budget!
Ingredients
This is a quick overview of the simple ingredients that you’ll need to make your own classic crab roll recipe at home. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Buttered hot dog buns: buttered, griddled hot dog rolls serve as the vehicle for your crab salad sandwich filling.
- Crab: for a luxurious (and pricey!) treat, use jumbo lump crab meat. For a more affordable option, lump crabmeat or even “special” crabmeat will work. The “special” crabmeat consists of the smaller pieces of white meat from the body of the crab. In other words, grab whatever is available and also fits your budget!
- Celery and green onions: for savory flavor and a little bit of crunch. Use fresh chives instead of the green onions, if you like.
- Mayonnaise: the base of the shrimp salad dressing. Pick a high-quality mayonnaise (we prefer Duke’s brand, another Southern touch to this New England-inspired meal).
- Lemon juice and white vinegar: acidic components that cut the richness of the dressing and give the dish a bright flavor.
- Fresh dill: for extra flavor, although you can omit this herb if desired.
- Old Bay seasoning: a classic seafood seasoning blend that this Virginia girl just couldn’t forget!
- Kosher salt, black pepper, and sugar: just a touch of each to enhance the other flavors in the dish.
How to Make a Crab Roll
This simple crab roll recipe comes together easily, and can be served in griddled or toasted hot dog buns (as shown here), or you can enjoy the filling on its own, over lettuce greens, with crackers, or tucked inside a croissant. It’s versatile, easy, and always a hit!
- Pick over the crab, removing any shell or cartilage that may have inadvertently been missed in the original packing. Place in a large bowl.
- Add the celery and green onions; toss gently to combine.
- Whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, vinegar, dill, Old Bay, and sugar.
- Add the mayonnaise mixture to the crab mixture; toss to coat.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Cover and chill until ready to serve, or enjoy right away.
- Butter the cut sides of the hot dog buns, and then griddle them in a cast iron pan until they’re golden brown, about 3 minutes.
- Fill each bun with the crab sandwich filling; garnish with fresh dill or parsley.
Serving Suggestions
Serve a Maine crab roll recipe alongside any of these delicious sides:
- Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, Caesar Salad, Wedge Salad, or our favorite House Salad with Candied Pecans
- Homemade Coleslaw or Vinegar Coleslaw
- Tomato Salad or Tomato Cucumber Onion Salad
- Cucumber Dill Salad
- Three Bean Salad
- Corn Salad or Rice Salad with Corn, Bacon and Pimentos
- Southern Succotash
- Fruit Salad
- Hush Puppies
- Okra and Tomatoes
- Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
- Macaroni Salad or Easy Pasta Salad with Mayo, Lemon, and Basil
- Potato Salad
- Baked Potato Wedges, French Fries, or Potato Chips
- Refrigerator Dill Pickles
Plus, don’t forget a cold drink! A chilled beer, a glass of white wine, a pitcher of sweet tea, or freshly-squeezed lemonade will all be perfect.
Storage
- Prep ahead: Assemble the crab filling in advance, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until you’re ready to enjoy. Leftover crab will last in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Toast the buns and assemble the sandwiches just before serving.
- I do not recommend freezing this dish. The thawed mayonnaise-based dressing will have an undesirable texture.
Recipe Variations
- Seafood Roll: You can use just about any seafood that you prefer in this dish. Swap out the crabmeat and replace it with imitation crab, cooked chopped shrimp, or lobster meat. You can also use a combination of seafood — for instance crabmeat and shrimp. Just make sure that you have a total of 1 pound of cooked seafood for the recipe.
- Add finely diced red onion instead of the green onion for a little bit of zesty flavor, or try chopped fresh chives.
- Swap out the dill for other fresh herbs, such as parsley, basil, thyme, or oregano.
- Add horseradish or hot sauce to the dressing for a bit of extra spice. Lemon zest gives it even more bright, citrus flavor.
- Instead of a toasted split-top roll, serve the crab salad mixture on croissants, sandwich rolls, pita bread, with crackers, or on top of lettuce leaves.
Tips for the Best Recipe for Crab Rolls
- Most crab does not come packed in much liquid; however, if your crabmeat is particular wet, it’s best to pat it dry before adding it to the bowl. You don’t want it to water down the dressing.
- Use any variety of crab that you enjoy and that fits your budget. Jumbo lump crab is the best, but it’s also very expensive. Other good options include lump crab, “special” crab, and claw meat.
- Use a high-quality mayonnaise (we prefer Duke’s brand) for the best flavor.
- Scale the recipe up or down to suit the size of your family. For instance, if you’re feeding a larger group, double all of the ingredients. For a smaller family, 8 ounces of crab should be enough.
- For a classic New England-style preparation, use top-split hot dog buns like these.
- Old Bay is a seafood seasoning that we love in Virginia, but you can omit that ingredient if you don’t have it on hand.
More Crab Recipes to Try
How to Make Crab Cakes
1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
Virginia Crab Imperial
30 minutes mins
10-Minute Crab Dip Recipe
10 minutes mins
Crab Roll Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb. lump crab meat (or other crab meat of choice), drained if necessary, any shells or cartilage removed
- 1 stalk celery, finely diced
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
- ½ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 – 6 hot dog buns, split
- 2-3 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- Optional garnish: fresh parsley, chives, or additional dill
Instructions
- Place crab in a large bowl. Add the celery and green onions; toss gently to combine.
- In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, vinegar, dill, Old Bay, and sugar. Add the mayonnaise mixture to the crab mixture; toss to coat. Taste and season with kosher salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, or enjoy right away. Stir in additional mayo, to taste, if you prefer a more moist crab salad.
- Butter the cut sides of the hot dog buns. Griddle, buttered-side down, until golden brown. Fill each bun with crab salad. Garnish with additional dill, chives, or freshly-chopped parsley.
Notes
- Most crab does not come packed in much liquid; however, if your crabmeat is particular wet, it’s best to pat it dry before adding it to the bowl. You don’t want it to water down the dressing.
- Use any variety of crab that you enjoy and that fits your budget. Jumbo lump crab is the best, but it’s also very expensive. Other good options include lump crab, “special” crab, and claw meat.
- Use a high-quality mayonnaise (we prefer Duke’s brand) for the best flavor.
- Scale the recipe up or down to suit the size of your family. For instance, if you’re feeding a larger group, double all of the ingredients. For a smaller family, 8 ounces of crab should be enough.
- For a classic New England-style preparation, use top-split hot dog buns like these.
- Old Bay is a seafood seasoning that we love in Virginia, but you can omit that ingredient if you don’t have it on hand.
