Crab Louie is a quick and easy salad that you will love to eat for either lunch or a main course supper or dinner. It is filled with crunchy vegetables, soft, flaked crabmeat and a tangy dressing. It is also low carb so we can enjoy this salad and know that it is so healthy for us!
What you will love about this recipe...
- Crab Louie, also known as Crab Louis salad or The King of Salads, is easy to make with simple ingredients but it makes a beautiful presentation that you will love to serve to guests as well.
- Full of vegetables and high protein seafood, it is a fresh and delicious salad.
- If you like main dish salads, try one of my salad such as Butter Lettuce or Red Lettuce Salad and add some grilled chicken or steak. You can add canned salmon or tuna as well. My Julienne salad is a hearty, beautiful salad that we have frequently as a light supper.
- Also try my Shrimp Louie recipe. It's another main dish salad recipe that is made with a creamy dressing similar to crab louie dressing.
Recipe Ingredients:
You will need the following ingredients to make this Fresh Crab Louie.
- crabmeat-soft, delicate texture of flaked crabmeat is perfect for the recipe. But you can substitute jumbo lump crabmeat as well.
- celery, scallions, radishes and cucumber- these veggies provide tons of crunch and add to the fresh, crisp flavor of the salad.
- hard-boiled eggs- eggs are a great addition to many salads; enhancing the flavor as well as adding more protein.
- avocado- provides healthy fats
- fresh lemon juice - just a little, to help prevent browning of the avocado.
- cherry tomatoes add a burst of juicy flavor to the salad.
- parsley is a perfect herb to add to this salad. It doesn't have an overly strong flavor but adds a fresh, slightly peppery taste.
- lettuce - choose Romaine, Iceberg, Bibb or your favorite greens
Some substitutions you can make:
- Use chopped, lump crabmeat instead of canned, flaked.
- You can substitute chili paste or chili sauce for the ketchup and chili powder.
- Avocado mayo would also be great instead of regular mayonnaise.
- If you don't have Old Bay seasoning, you can mix a quick combination of spices using this copycat recipe.
- Try to use up any leftovers by the next day or the vegetables may get soggy.
- You can prepare the salad ahead of time. Just keep vegetables, crab and dressing separate and put together when ready to serve.
How to make Crab Louie Salad:
This salad could not be easier to make. To make the Louis dressing:
- In a small bowl, whisk the mayo, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, horseradish, seasonings and scallions together for the dressing.
- Divide the lettuce on a small plates or bowls and place the vegetables and eggs on top. Add the crabmeat and then drizzle with dressing. Top with capers and parsley.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much crab is in the recipe?
That will depend on how you plan on serving it. If it is for a small lunch, 8 ounces of fresh crabmeat or imitation crab in the salad will make 4 servings. For a dinner with hearty portions, just double the amount of crab and vegetables. If I were serving this as an hors d'oeuvre, I would also double all the ingredients and serve with small appetizer plates.
Is Louie dressing the same as Thousand Island dressing?
It may look similar, but Louie dressing does not have sugar and is not sweet like Thousand Island dressing. It is mayonnaise-based but usually has chili powder or chili sauce and scallions instead of sweet pickle relish.
Easy ways to serve the Crab Louie salad:
- Eat the salad on a bed of lettuce. Or serve on lettuce leaf "boats".
- Serve it in a hollowed out tomato or bell pepper.
- Combine the veggies, crab and dressing and place on a roll, tortilla wrap or serve with crackers.
- Since this salad is a light meal, you may have room for a sugar free dessert like my Lemon cake or Sugar Free Orange Pound cake. They would be a perfect ending to this meal.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 days. The lettuce will wilt and the avocado will get mushy beyond that, especially mixed with the other vegetables and crab. Store the dressing separate as well. I don't recommend freezing the salad.
If you want to meal prep this recipe, I suggest storing the lettuce, vegetables, crab and dressing in separate containers. Also, place a paper towel over the vegetables and lettuce to help absorb any moisture. It will last a few days longer.
Some of my other delicious salad you may like to try:
I would love to know if you tried this recipe. Please tell me in the comments or tag me on Instagram!
Print
Crab Louie
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 serving 1x
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: American
Description
This recipe for crab louie is a quick and easy salad and is filled with delicate, flaked crab, crunchy vegetables and a tangy dressing. It is the perfect main dish summer salad for lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
Louis Dressing
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 TB ketchup
- 3 TB lemon juice
- 2 tsp horseradish
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ garlic powder
- 2 tsps Old Bay seasoning *
- 2 scallions chopped
Salad
- 8 oz can flaked crabmeat, drained
- 1 ripe avocado, chopped, drizzle some lemon juice over to prevent browing
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half *
- 1 TB capers, drained
- 3 radishes, sliced thin
- 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
- ½ large cucumber, sliced
- 2 hardboiled eggs, chopped or cut into wedges
- ¼ cup chopped fresh herbs, parsley, dill or chives
- Romaine, Butter or Bibb lettuce, about 4-5 cups, chopped
- Optional capers
Instructions
- For Dressing: Combine ingredients for dressing, store in refrigerator until ready to use.
- Rinse lettuce, chop and dry well. Use a salad spinner if you have one.
- Place chopped lettuce on a medium size plate or bowl. Arrange vegetables and eggs on top.
- Put crabmeat in center of salad and drizzle some dressing over top of salad. Serve remaining dressing with the salad. Or divide lettuce, vegetables and crab onto 4 small plates. Drizzle dressing over top.
- Top with optional capers and chopped fresh herbs of choice. You can also serve with some lemon wedges.
Notes
* You can use lump crabmeat instead of the flaked crab.
*Instead of cherry tomatoes, you can use regular tomatoes wedges.
*Use a teaspoon of chili sauce instead of the chili powder if you prefer.
*Taste the Louie dressing before pouring over the salad. Add a little more seasonings as you prefer.
** Old Bay seasoning is commonly used on fish dishes. If you don't have any, you can use a copycat recipe here.
*** Store the leftover salad and dressing separately in refrigerator. To maintain the crispness, try to eat leftovers the next day. But for the crab salad, use within 2 days.
Jeanette says
I'm 74, born and raised in Washington and I've had the good fortune of eating Crab Louie's since I was young. This recipe gets a 5/5 from me as well.
Deb Belsha says
I'm so glad you liked it!
kara says
I live in Spokan, WA where Louie Davenport first created the "Louie". Google Davenport Hotel, Spokane, for a historical treat.
Deb Belsha says
What an absolutely stunning hotel!!! Yes, I see that the hotel offers their original Crab Louie. Mine is a tweaked version of that, which to me, is the most fun about creating recipes!
Lynn says
Made the dressing with a bit more horseradish cause we like spice. Delicious salad!
Meg says
Looks super filling!
Laura says
5/5