Creamy Crab and Rice Salad

Prepare this recipe using real or imitation crab and leftover cooked rice. Great as a side, but hearty and filling enough to be served as a main, Creamy Crab and Rice Salad tastes light and fresh and is simply delicious!

Every time I share a recipe with imitation crab as the star or one of the contributing ingredients, I click on the publish button and wait for the mean comments to fire my way. There is some serious hate out there for imitation crab! The great thing about imitation crab is that it fits into almost every budget. But, if you’re rich and can afford real crab, be my guest! I’d rather save real crab for a seafood boil and use imitation in recipes like this Creamy Crab and Rice Salad.

Crab is one of those things that you might think I had a lot of while growing up. Newfoundlanders have the ocean right at their fingertips, and seafood is readily available. But, my family didn’t eat fish as often as some other Newfoundland families. And, when it came to shellfish of any kind, that wasn’t happening at all!

IF MOM DIDN’T LIKE IT, WE DIDN’T GET TO HAVE IT!

I remember eating lobster only once as a kid. Friends of my parents had cooked lobsters and invited us to dinner. I think I enjoyed cracking open the shell more than I did eating the meat! The crab was a little different. I remember eating that a few times. Once, my mother even let us cook it in the house! You see if she didn’t like something, then we didn’t get to have it.

And, just like lobster and crab, other shellfish such as shrimp, mussels, clams, etc., were all foreign. My mother would not cook them, because she didn’t like those types of seafood, so we grew up not having them. Maybe that’s why I’m in my 40s and just starting to appreciate shellfish. I can eat lobster, crab, and shrimp, but I’d have to be near death to eat mussels.

Imitation crab is different though, because it’s not shellfish at all. Most imitation crab is made with Alaskan Pollock, and I can eat squid, pollock, cod, tilapia, and halibut until I burst. Salmon and shrimp are great too, but that’s pretty much my limit when it comes to seafood. I am trying to experiment with cooking seafood more, so we’ll see how that goes!

IMITATION CRAB

There is nothing wrong with imitation crab. There, I’ve said it! I have been buying imitation crab for almost twenty years. Would I prefer real crab meat? Of course, I would! But, I’m far from rich, and I live nowhere near an ocean. Depending on where you live, crab meat can be very expensive. And, to be honest, imitation crab is quite good!

You might need to try a few brands to find the right imitation crab for you. I’ve tried a few that I didn’t care for too much at all. Sometimes, they can be too salty, and sometimes, they can taste like nothing. I mean that! In the past, I have purchased imitation crab that had absolutely zero flavours. So, before you give up on it, try a few brands first.

My favourite brand, SeaQuest, is luckily the most recognizable and easily found imitation crab. Here in Ontario, it’s available in almost every grocery store. From my experience, flaked imitation crab tastes better than stick imitation crab. If you’re new to imitation crab, start with flaked crab first. It always has a better flavour and texture.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Crab – Actually, it’s imitation crab! I love it and I’m not ashamed to say so!
• Rice – Use plain white or brown rice here. Cook the rice and allow it to fully cool before using. You can also use leftover, previously refrigerated rice.
• Corn – You can use fresh corn that is cooked and cooled, or frozen corn that has been blanched in salted water, or canned corn that has been well drained.
• Green Peas – Just like corn, you can use fresh or frozen peas that have been cooked and cooled. I wouldn’t use canned peas, because they tend to be rather mushy and do not have an appealing, bright green colour.
• Green Onions – These add flavour and freshness.
• Mayonnaise – You can save some calories by using low-fat mayonnaise here.
• Lemon Juice – Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for best results.
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Fresh Dill – You must use fresh dill in this recipe! Dried dill is much stronger and even though it tastes good, it will not have a freshness to it.
• Garlic Powder – Use garlic powder and not granulated garlic which is much stronger. If you must use granulated garlic, cut the amount back by half.
• Salt and Ground Black Pepper

HOW TO MAKE CREAMY CRAB AND RICE SALAD

Begin by preparing the crab. If you are using sticks of imitation crab, pull the sticks into thin strings and if using flake style, loosely break the chunks apart with your hands and shred them just a little. Transfer all of the crab to a large mixing bowl. Add the cooled, cooked rice, cooled corn and green peas, chopped green onions, and dill to the mixing bowl as well. Set it aside.

Next, prepare the sauce mixture by combining the mayonnaise, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt, and ground black pepper. Whisk these ingredients together until well combined. Pour the sauce mixture into the mixing bowl with the crab and rice. Toss to combine, ensuring that the sauce mixture is evenly dispersed throughout the salad.

Creamy Crab and Rice Salad can be served immediately at room temperature. Alternatively, you may cover and refrigerate the salad for 2-4 hours before serving.

MORE IMITATION CRAB RECIPES

If you have read this far, you might have guessed that I’m a big fan of imitation crab. I have no issues whatsoever with real crabs, mind you! But, if I’m going to spend a lot of money on crab meat, I’m not going to mask the flavour of it with lots of ingredients, like you might find in a salad recipe, for example. Nope, my real crab meat is going to taste super fresh on its own with just a little bit of melted butter or a seafood boil dipping sauce.

I have a few other imitation crab recipes here if you’re interested! In no particular order of preference, one of my favourites are Crab Rangoon Egg Rolls. These are my go-to recipe. Every single time I make these, everyone loves them and asks me to make them again and again. They’re certainly one of my specialties! Much like this salad, my Crab and Potato Salad is super fresh and filling too. I like to make this one in the summertime and serve it with grilled steak.

The last imitation crab recipe that I shared got rave reviews from readers. If you like going out for sushi, you just might have had Japanese Kani Salad. This homemade version is so delicious and easy to make. I don’t like sushi at all, but I love a good kani salad!

LET’S TALK ABOUT LEFTOVER RICE

Leftover rice is always a problem in our home – or at least it was until I started to experiment with using leftover rice in dishes like this salad! You see, Dear Reader, whenever John.e cooks rice, he always makes a large amount of it so that we can use it up as a side or as an ingredient in another dish at some point during the week. In most cases, John.e always makes rice, because rice is just one thing that I cannot cook. It just will not work for me. He has the magic touch, I guess.

If you’re familiar at all with leftover, refrigerated rice, you will be aware of the fact that the rice becomes a bit tough and chewy. There is a simple way to bring your leftover rice back to life and revive it from that dreaded chewiness. If you are using leftover rice in a dish that requires cooking, you have nothing to worry about. The rice will rejuvenate itself accordingly. In this recipe, however, the leftover rice doesn’t get cooked, so what can we do?

You will need two cups of cooked rice here. If you are cooking the rice now and allowing it to cool, you need not pay attention to this section. For leftover rice, add the two cups of cooked rice to a microwave-safe bowl with two tablespoons of water. On low heat, microwave the rice for 2 minutes. Remove and stir and microwave for 2 minutes more. You will have the perfect rice texture all over again – like it was just cooked!

STORING AND REFRIGERATION

Although this salad can be served immediately, for optimum flavour, chill the salad first. It’s important to let the salad chill in the fridge for at least two to four hours. This will allow the ingredients time to hang out and get to know each other! The vegetables and imitation crab meat will marry and all of the flavours will be exchanged and absorbed.

After two to four hours, the salad is ready to serve. Toss it again before plating just to freshen everything up. The salad does tend to settle a little bit. You can safely store this salad in your fridge for up to three days. Be sure to keep the salad covered at all times.