Seafood Salad

A retro classic, this seafood salad recipe has been a staple in delis and on salad bars for decades! The cold crab salad comes together in about 10 minutes for an inexpensive, easy lunch or dinner to prep ahead. Serve it with crackers for scooping, on croissants or crusty bread for sandwiches, or on a bed of leafy greens. It's light, fresh, and flavorful!

Seafood Salad Recipe

I've loved this vintage Seafood Salad recipe since I was a child! The classic dish is made with imitation crab, which I've shown here, but you can also prepare the dish with shrimp, lobster or real crabmeat to make it your own. The cold crab salad is just a perfect light lunch or dinner when the weather is warm and you don't want a heavy, hot meal. Best of all, it comes together in just 10 minutes and can be prepared in advance. So convenient!

Ingredients

This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you'll need for a classic seafood salad. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.

• Imitation crab: the base of this cold crab salad, "imitation crab" is actually fish!
• Mayonnaise: the dressing for the salad. We prefer Duke's brand mayonnaise for the best flavor and texture.
• Celery and red onion: for fresh, flavorful crunch.
• Fresh dill: adds bright flavor to the salad and pairs nicely with the seafood.
• Old Bay seasoning, salt, and pepper: to season the salad. Old Bay is a classic seafood seasoning that includes a blend of herbs and spices like celery salt, red pepper, and paprika.

What is imitation crab?

I use imitation crab in this cold crab salad recipe, since that's what a classic seafood salad is typically made with. If you prefer other seafood in your salad, I've included notes below for possible additions.

Imitation crab meat is also known as "crab sticks," "krab sticks," "imitation krab," and "krab meat." Most imitation crab today is actually made from Alaska pollock, with crab flavoring added. You can find out more about imitation crab in this Huffington Post article; and while it's not necessarily the healthiest form of seafood out there, it's a nice "treat" when you're craving this classic dish!

How to Make Seafood Salad

Seafood salad is a combination of crab meat, celery, red onion, and dill, all tossed in a salad dressing that's made with mayonnaise and Old Bay seasoning. While mayo and seafood might sound like an odd pairing, it's actually a lot like a classic tuna salad. Some combinations just work!

1. Chop or flake the Imitation Crab. You can use any variety of imitation crab, including "chunk" or "flake." Simply break the crab into bite-size pieces or run a knife through it before adding it to a large bowl.
2. Add the Remaining Ingredients. Place the mayonnaise, celery, red onion, dill, and Old Bay seasoning in the bowl with the crabmeat.
3. Stir to Combine. Stir everything together, season with salt and pepper, and you're done! Garnish with additional chopped fresh herbs or sliced lemons, if desired.

Serving Suggestions

There are so many different ways to serve this dish! Here are a few ideas:

• Seafood Salad Sandwich: Toast a hoagie roll, slices of crusty bread, or warm a croissant, add some lettuce, and stuff with the seafood salad. It will be just like your favorite restaurant sub!
• Serve the salad on top of a bed of mixed greens.
• For a grain-free, lower-carb option, hollow out a large ripe tomato and stuff the seafood salad inside.
• Set up a Salad Bar: Pick a few of your favorite deli-style salads to pair with the seafood salad and let your family members assemble their own plates. We love Carrot Raisin Salad, Three Bean Salad, Southern Macaroni Salad, Southern Potato Salad, Classic Pasta Salad, Fruit Salad, Watergate Salad, Snickers Salad, and Coleslaw.

What Goes with Seafood Salad

Here are a few veggies and sides that go well with the seafood salad:

• Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, Caesar Salad, Wedge Salad, or House Salad with Candied Pecans
• 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, Flaky Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits or Drop Biscuits
• Skillet Cornbread, Honey Cornbread, Corn Sticks, Mexican Cornbread or Corn Muffins
• Crusty French Baguette, Soft Dinner Rolls, or Homemade Crescent Rolls
• 3-Ingredient Sour Cream Muffins, Applesauce Pumpkin Muffins or Pumpkin Bread
• Banana Nut Bread
• Blueberry Muffins, Farmhouse Blackberry Muffins, One-Bowl Zucchini Muffins, Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins, Banana Muffins, Morning Glory Muffins, or Strawberry Muffins
• Southern Fried Apples or Baked Apple Slices
• Perfect Oven Roasted Asparagus or Sauteed Asparagus
• 5-Ingredient Easy Cranberry Salad
• 3-Ingredient Cranberry Orange Sauce
• Fruit Salad
• Rice Salad with Corn, Bacon, and Pimentos
• Tomato, Cucumber, and Onion Salad

Preparation and Storage Tips

• Prep ahead: Assemble the seafood salad recipe in advance, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until you're ready to enjoy.
• Seafood salad will last in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
• I do not recommend freezing this salad. Since the dish includes mayonnaise, it will have an undesirable texture when thawed, and the vegetables will be mushy and watery.

Recipe Variations

• Mixed Seafood Salad Recipe: You can use just about any seafood that you prefer in this dish. Swap out the imitation crab and replace it with shrimp, real crabmeat, 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 seafood for the recipe.
• Frozen, thawed peas would be a nice addition to the salad.
• Stir in some drained capers for a briny, acidic component.
• Seafood Pasta Salad: Cook, drain and cool 1 pound of pasta. Double all of the ingredients except for the crab meat. Combine the cooked, cooled pasta, the crab, and the rest of the (doubled) ingredients for a delicious seafood pasta salad recipe!

Tips for the Best Seafood Salad Recipe

• Mince your red onion into very fine pieces so that you don't bite into a large chunk of onion in the salad.
• Use a full-fat, high-quality mayo for the best flavor and texture. We prefer Duke's mayonnaise.
• Garnish the salad with additional chopped fresh herbs (such as parsley or dill), or with fresh lemon wedges. A squeeze of lemon juice is also a nice finishing touch.

More Seafood Salad Recipes to Try

• Aunt Bee's Shrimp Pasta Salad
• New England Shrimp Rolls {Shrimp Salad}
• The Best Tuna Melt Recipe {Tuna Fish Salad}
• Tuna Nicoise Salad
• Avocado Shrimp Pasta Salad
• Salmon Salad with Avocado Dressing

This recipe was originally published in June, 2020. The photos were updated in April, 2022.