Lump crab and avocado salad makes a delicious appetizer, or a light but filling main course when paired with potatoes and a vegetable. It also makes a fun lunch! Lump crab meat is mixed with avocado, lime juice, salt and a touch of mayo to create a simple, delicious salad. Served inside the avocado shell, this bright salad is done in under five minutes.
All about this lump crab and avocado salad
This recipe was born last year; I was making my Crab-Stuffed Jumbo Shrimp and I had purchased a 16-oz can of lump crab meat. With half of a can left, I wanted to use it for another meal. At the time, I had avocados on hand, and I thought they were the perfect pairing.
With crab meat being so naturally sweet on its own, I quickly realized I didn’t have to add much to this recipe to make it delicious. I decided to use some lime juice to keep the avocado fresh and to prevent it from browning, and then I added just some salt and light mayo. Then, a scallion for extra flavor.
I was really pleasantly surprised by the end result. The salad was really refreshing and light, yet filling because it’s packed with healthy fats and protein. This is the perfect dish to make for anyone who is low-carb, too.
This makes a great appetizer or first course, but when I serve it as a main course, I like to pair it with corn on the cob and potatoes for a well-rounded meal.
Working with crab meat
If you are unsure of where to find crab meat, it can be found at most regular supermarkets, right in the seafood department. It is sold in a can, so it’s typically in the refrigerated section, and you won’t require any help to get it. Crab is usually sold in 8 or 16 oz cans; for this recipe, you only need an 8 oz can, unless you want to double it.
If you’ve never worked with crab meat, have no fear. It’s as easy as opening a can. The crab meat is fully cooked when you buy it, so there is virtually nothing required here. The only thing I recommend doing is picking through the crab meat to remove any rogue pieces of shell that might have been mixed in with the meat.
Otherwise, it couldn’t be simpler to work with. If you enjoy crab, try these other recipes of mine:
Crab is the perfect food to make in the warmer months, since it doesn’t require any cooking. It always tastes really light and refreshing this time of year, and it is packed with protein and healthy fats.
This recipe, specifically, is so easy to throw together, due to the lack of cooking required.
What you’ll need to make this recipe
- avocado (either 2 mini avocados, or 1 large)
- lump crab meat (sold in a can)
- lump crab meat can be found in the refrigerated seafood section of most supermarkets
- scallions
- light mayo
- lime juice
- kosher salt
If you do not have scallions (I didn’t when I remade this recipe!) you can substitute dehydrated, minced onion, as shown below. I used 1/2 tablespoon and it flavored the salad beautifully in the absence of the fresh scallions.
Other ideas for serving this recipe:
- to give it an Asian vibe, you can sprinkle the top of the salad with sesame seeds, a drizzle of sriracha, and dip in some soy sauce
- for a southwestern flare, you can serve these along side some salsa for dipping
How to make lump crab and avocado salad
This couldn’t be simpler! This meal involves ZERO cook time. No cooking to be done here! All you have to do is mix the ingredients together.
Cut the avocados in half, and remove the pit. Simply scoop out the insides of the avocado, and put it in a bowl. Reserve the avocado shells to serve the salad in later. Try to keep them as in-tact as possible!
Mash the avocado, and then add the other ingredients, and mix them thoroughly.
Scoop the avocado back into the shells for serving, and garnish with more scallions, if desired.
Lump Crab and Avocado Salad
Equipment
- bowl for mixing
Ingredients
- 6 oz avocado, about 1 large avocado, or 2 mini avocados
- 8 oz lump crab meat
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon light mayo
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Pick through the lump crab meat to remove any hard shells.
- Cut the avocado(s) in half and remove the pit.
- Scoop out the avocado into a bowl, and mash it,
- Combine with all other ingredients and add the mixture back into the avocado halves for serving.
- Garnish with more scallion.
Notes
- 6 WW points (green plan)
- 4 WW points (blue and purple plans)
Christina says
I made this and put it on a wrap today for lunch…so good! Very filling lunch. This will be a great summer time by the pool lunch.
J Gabriel says
I used to order a very similar stuffed avocado crab salad at a Japanese restaurant, they used to toped with sprouted and sesame seeds, I’m sure it will taste very similar, ingredients make sense, I was about to try making it myself with sand ingredients when I found this, si for sure it will come out delicious