Low Carb Creamy Crab Salad

This is the BEST Low Carb Creamy Crab Salad Recipe; it’s a chilled crab-based salad with a creamy, flavorful dressing!

This delicious crab salad recipe can be dressed up for an elegant lunch, or served at a summer gathering. It’s a real crowd-pleaser!

Cold Seafood Salads

I grew up with cold seafood salad at every summer picnic, potluck, or BBQ party. Nestled in between the potato salad and macaroni salad, that creamy seafood salad always called to me. It was pretty basic, just seafood (usually just imitation crab, which is actually a fish called Alaskan Pollock), chopped celery and onion, and a creamy mayo-based dressing with a few seasonings. It was somehow addictive though!

These days I make a different version of that salad using lump crab meat in a creamy base that’s packed with flavor thanks to sautéed onion and garlic, Old Bay spice mix, Worcestershire sauce, fresh lemon, and a few fresh herbs.

Lump Crab Meat

Lump crat meat is the meat that comes from the body of the crab (instead of the legs or claws). It’s great for using in recipes for salads, casseroles, crab cakes, etc. We recommend picking through it to remove any shell fragments before using it in a recipe.

What is Imitation Crab Meat Made Of?

Imitation crab meat (also called kanikama or surimi) is made from seafood (commonly a type of fish called Alaskan Pollock that is ground into a paste and then mixed with fillers, artificial flavoring, and food coloring.

Can Imitation Crab be Used Instead of Real Crab, and is it Keto?

In recipes that call for lump crab (such as salads or casseroles), imitation crab works well as a substitute. However, because imitation crab is highly processed and has additives, many people think of it as the “hot dog” of the seafood world and try to avoid it.

Imitation crab can contain monosodium glutamate, sugar, starch, and gluten, all things we try to avoid when eating keto. It’s for that reason that we avoid imitation crab meat and stick with real crab. (You can read more about imitation crab on Dr. Axe.)

Are there Carbs in Crab Meat?

In real crab meat there are no carbs. Since imitation crab meat is highly processed there is approximately 18g carbs per 100g serving. Our creamy crab salad recipe has just under 4g of total carbs per serving. Most of the carbs coming from the cooked onions and garlic.

Crab Salad Recipe for Easy Lunch Ideas

We love making this Creamy Crab Salad Recipe for a quick and easy lunch when guests are coming over. Before going keto, we served it up like a Main Lobster Roll on a split bun, but now we keep it low-carb and serve it on a bed of greens, such as baby spinach. You can also serve this salad with some kind of keto “bread” or “cracker”.

Summer Party Food Menu Ideas

This crab meat salad recipe is a crowd-pleaser, which makes it perfect for bringing to a summer party, potluck, or picnic. Just be careful to keep it chilled until right before serving!

Here are a few other perfect party food ideas for your next summer gathering:

• Keto Watermelon Mojitos
• Keto No-Bake Vanilla Cheesecake Mousse with Fresh Blueberry Sauce
• Keto Instant Pot Crack Chicken

How to Make Crab Salad

We may be a little biased, but we think this is the best crab salad recipe we’ve made in a long time. It’s super easy to make and is done start to finish in just under 20 minutes.

First you’re going to cook the onions and garlic on the stove. Once done you’ll mix that with the cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, parsley, scallion, lemon juice, dill, Old Bay, and Worcestershire. The last thing you’ll have to do is stir in the crab meat and celery. Then chill in the fridge and enjoy!

If you found this post and you’re ready to start a keto diet, check out our 5 Day Budget Keto Meal Plan. You’ll get 5 days worth of recipes and eat for under $5 per day!

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Low Carb Creamy Crab Salad

This is the BEST Low Carb Creamy Crab Salad Recipe; it's a chilled crab-based salad with a creamy, flavorful dressing!

Author: Faith

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 240

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 15 minutes mins

Print Pin Rate

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Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 1/2 small onion finely diced
• ▢ 2 large cloves garlic crushed
• ▢ 4 oz cream cheese at room temperature
• ▢ 1/2 cup sour cream
• ▢ 4 tablespoons mayo
• ▢ 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• ▢ 1 scallion thinly sliced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon dried dill or 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh dill
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 8 oz lump crab meat picked over to remove any shells
• ▢ 2 large stalks celery thinly sliced

Instructions

• Add the butter to a small skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook until softened, but not browned, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly.
• Add the onion mixture to a large bowl and stir in the cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, parsley, scallion, lemon juice, dill, Old Bay, and Worcestershire. Stir in the crab and celery.
• Serve chilled.

Notes

• Net Carbs: 3g per serving

Nutrition Facts

Low Carb Creamy Crab Salad

Amount Per Serving

Calories 240 Calories from Fat 189

% Daily Value*

Fat 21g32%

Saturated Fat 9g56%

Cholesterol 61mg20%

Sodium 469mg20%

Potassium 186mg5%

Carbohydrates 4g1%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 9g18%

Vitamin A 691IU14%

Vitamin C 7mg8%

Calcium 71mg7%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Low Carb Creamy Crab Salad

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