This Puerto Rican Ensalada de King Crab is a refreshing way to eat a seafood salad that you can make in less than 10 minutes.
A popular Puerto Rican street food is the Ensalada De King Crab. It is commonly sold in chinchorros or food trucks.
Most of the time is served with green plantain mofongo or twice fried plantains. But my favorite way to enjoy this crab salad is with fried plantain cups and a refreshing passion fruit mojito
This recipe does not contain any mayonnaise as the typical American crab salad recipe. This one is made with fresh onions, peppers, garlic, and a touch of vinegar.
While this is a recipe that can be made year-round, it is very popular during the springtime. Just like other seafood recipes like the Puerto Rican arroz con jueyes or the stewed codfish with eggplant.
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Why This Recipe Works
- This is a very economical recipe to make.
- Great to feed big crowds, and to make as party food.
- This is the perfect summer seafood salad because is very light and refreshing.
Recipe Ingredients
- Imitation crab meat- This recipe calls for 1 lb of imitation crab meat but if you have fresh crab you can use it.
- Vegetables- I use 1 whole yellow onion but if you love onion you can definitely add more. You can also use white onion but wouldn’t recommend using red onion because it is stronger in flavor. I used half of the green pepper. You can also use orange or yellow.
- Garlic- is a must and in this recipe, I used fresh garlic but you can also add the store-bought paste.
- Oil- I used vegetable oil but coconut and olive oil go great in this recipe.
- Vinegar- I used white vinegar. Haven’t used other so I don’t know if it changes the flavor of the recipe.
- Seasonings- All you need is salt and pepper.
How to make King Crab Salad
- Photo 1: Separate your crab meat. Cut your onion and green pepper into thin pieces. You can cut any way you like as it won’t affect the flavor.
- Photo 2: Now add your oil to a pan and sauté the vegetables. You will only do this for 4 minutes to bring the flavors out. Don’t overcook because it will get mushy and get lost in the salad. Then turn off your heat and add your garlic. The reason for turning the heat off is that we don’t want to burn our garlic.
- Photo 3: Add your seasonings and make sure everything is well mixed. Add your sautéed vegetables and all the oil in your pan as this will help keep your salad moist.
- Photo 4: Lastly add your vinegar.
Recipe Tips
- I always suggest refrigerating this salad before enjoying it. You can taste the flavors better when cold. But of course, you can enjoy it hot or cold.
- This seafood salad is perfect for making ahead of time. I find that it is always tastier the day after I make it because it has absorbed the vinegar flavor.
- After making this recipe, store it in the fridge for no more than 4 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can eat imitation crab meat right out of the package. It does not have to be cooked because it comes pre-cooked already. You can cook a little more but you have to be careful because it can become very rubbery.
The difference between the two is that imitation meat contains no crab meat! Instead imitation king crab is made from surimi which essentially is just a fish paste that has been pre-cooked. Other things are added to this paste such as starches, sugars, and salt. Imitation and crab meat also have slightly different flavors. Also, the imitation kind can be more rubbery than the real thing especially if it is cooked too long.
Side Recipes To Go With This Salad
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Ensalada de King Crab (King Crab Salad)
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Ingredients
- 1 pound imitation king crab
- ½ cup oil
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoon garlic
- 1 onion
- ½ green pepper
Instructions
- Separate your crab meat.
- Cut your onion into ½ inch thick pieces and your green pepper into long ¼ inch thick strips. In a large pan add your oil, vegetables and sauté for 4 minutes over a medium heat. After the 4 minutes have passed turn off your heat and add your garlic and set aside.
- Now add your black pepper and salt to your crab meat and mix well. Now is time to add your sautéed vegetables. Make sure to pour in all the oil.
- Finally, add your vinegar and mix everything well. You can serve and enjoy it right away.
Recipe Notes
- You can substitute imitation meat for crab meat if you like.
- You can serve this right away but also you can enjoy cold.
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