Thai Crab Salad With Creamy Coconut-Lime Dressing Recipe

By
Darlene Schmidt
Darlene Schmidt
Darlene Schmidt is a cookbook author and culinary teacher who specializes in Thai cuisine.
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Updated on 07/11/21
Thai Crab Salad
TheSpruce.com/D.Schmidt
Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 25 mins
Servings: 2 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
413 Calories
25g Fat
30g Carbs
25g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories 413
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 25g 32%
Saturated Fat 13g 64%
Cholesterol 61mg 20%
Sodium 2437mg 106%
Total Carbohydrate 30g 11%
Dietary Fiber 8g 29%
Total Sugars 14g
Protein 25g
Vitamin C 85mg 425%
Calcium 218mg 17%
Iron 5mg 25%
Potassium 1172mg 25%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Indulge your senses with this delicious Thai crab salad. Featuring a full spectrum of flavors and textures, this fantastic summer salad is fresh and thrilling for the palate and marries beautifully with a chilled white wine or crisp lager. A simple coconut milk dressing is tossed with crab meat and a selection of vegetables plus fresh coriander and chopped peanuts or cashews.

This is a flexible crab salad recipe that tastes great no matter how you prepare it. Canned as well as frozen prepared crab meat work just as well as freshly cooked crab (the canned variety was used for this recipe for ease of preparation).

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice

  • 1/8 to 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed chile flakes, to taste

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • 3 tablespoons fish sauce

  • 2 cups shredded cabbage

  • 1 cup loosely packed fresh coriander leaves, coarsely chopped

  • 3 green onions, sliced thinly into matchstick-like pieces

  • 2 cups bean sprouts

  • 1 carrot, grated

  • 1 cup prepared crabmeat, canned, frozen, or freshly cooked

  • 1/4 to 1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts, or cashews, chopped

  • 1 fresh red chile, de-seeded and minced, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Stir all dressing ingredients (coconut milk, lime juice, chile flakes, sugar, and fish sauce) together in a cup. Taste test for sweet-sour balance, adding more sugar if too sour. Set aside.

  3. Holding the cabbage firm on a cutting board, cut large round slices along one side as thinly as you can. After the cabbage falls to the cutting board, slice it to create thin strands.

  4. Place in a salad bowl. Add all other vegetables, setting aside half of the fresh coriander.

  5. Add crabmeat to the bowl. Give the dressing another stir, then drizzle over. Toss well.

  6. Add most of the chopped nuts and toss again.

  7. Taste-test the salad. For a deeper, richer or saltier taste, add more fish sauce. If the salad tastes too salty or sweet, add more lime juice. More chile can be added for a spicier salad.

  8. Portion out onto plates or serving bowls. Top with reserved nuts and coriander, and serve immediately (at room temperature) or place in the refrigerator and serve cold later.

Tip

  • Not all crab is caught legally or in a sea-friendly manner. Check the label to see where the crab is coming from. Dungeness crab from the west coast of North America, frozen snow and king crab from Alaskan waters and blue crabs from the U.S. East Coast are all good options. One exception is king crab from European waters, where stocks are dwindling. If Russia or China/Asia is the country of origin on a package of frozen king crab, it's best to buy something else.

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