America's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated LogoAmerica's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated Logo

Crab Louis Salad

By Ashley Moore

Published on October 8, 2015

Time

20 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Crab Louis Salad

Ingredients

Dressing

½ cup mayonnaise ¼ cup sour cream ¼ cup finely chopped green bell pepper ¼ cup sliced scallions 2 tablespoons chopped pitted green olives 2 tablespoons chili sauce 5 teaspoons lemon juice 2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper

Salad

1 pound fresh crabmeat, picked over for shells and pressed dry between paper towels2 heads Bibb lettuce (1 pound), leaves separated and torn into 1 ½-inch pieces7 ½ ounces grape tomatoes, halved3 hard-cooked eggs, quartered1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted, quartered, and sliced thin

Before You Begin

Purchase high-quality, fresh crabmeat for this recipe. However, if you can only find canned crab meat, we prefer either claw or backfin meat or a combination thereof. Chili sauce, a condiment similar to ketchup, has a sweet flavor and a subtle, spicy kick; do not substitute Asian chili-garlic sauce.

Instructions

    for the dressing

  1. Whisk all ingredients together in bowl.
  2. for the salad

  3. Gently toss crabmeat with 1/2 cup dressing in bowl. Mound lettuce in center of serving platter. Arrange tomatoes, eggs, and avocado around lettuce. Top lettuce with dressed crab and serve with remaining 3/4 cup dressing.
Crab Louis Salad

Crab Louis Salad

Save

Time

20 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

Dressing

½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup finely chopped green bell pepper
¼ cup sliced scallions
2 tablespoons chopped pitted green olives
2 tablespoons chili sauce
5 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Salad

1 pound fresh crabmeat, picked over for shells and pressed dry between paper towels
2 heads Bibb lettuce (1 pound), leaves separated and torn into 1 ½-inch pieces
7 ½ ounces grape tomatoes, halved
3 hard-cooked eggs, quartered
1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted, quartered, and sliced thin

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

Dressing

½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup finely chopped green bell pepper
¼ cup sliced scallions
2 tablespoons chopped pitted green olives
2 tablespoons chili sauce
5 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Salad

1 pound fresh crabmeat, picked over for shells and pressed dry between paper towels
2 heads Bibb lettuce (1 pound), leaves separated and torn into 1 ½-inch pieces
7 ½ ounces grape tomatoes, halved
3 hard-cooked eggs, quartered
1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted, quartered, and sliced thin

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

Dressing

½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup finely chopped green bell pepper
¼ cup sliced scallions
2 tablespoons chopped pitted green olives
2 tablespoons chili sauce
5 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Salad

1 pound fresh crabmeat, picked over for shells and pressed dry between paper towels
2 heads Bibb lettuce (1 pound), leaves separated and torn into 1 ½-inch pieces
7 ½ ounces grape tomatoes, halved
3 hard-cooked eggs, quartered
1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted, quartered, and sliced thin

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

A tribute to its Northwest origin, we developed this recipe for Crab Louis Salad using good-quality fresh crabmeat (nothing beats the flavor and texture of authentic Dungeness crab). We tossed the crab with our own version of the signature Louis dressing—bright, tangy, and creamy—and spooned it over a bed of buttery Bibb lettuce, sweet grape tomatoes, ripe avocados, and hard-cooked eggs.

Before You Begin

Purchase high-quality, fresh crabmeat for this recipe. However, if you can only find canned crab meat, we prefer either claw or backfin meat or a combination thereof. Chili sauce, a condiment similar to ketchup, has a sweet flavor and a subtle, spicy kick; do not substitute Asian chili-garlic sauce.

Instructions

    for the dressing

  1. Whisk all ingredients together in bowl.
  2. for the salad

  3. Gently toss crabmeat with 1/2 cup dressing in bowl. Mound lettuce in center of serving platter. Arrange tomatoes, eggs, and avocado around lettuce. Top lettuce with dressed crab and serve with remaining 3/4 cup dressing.

Gift This Recipe

Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.

This is a members' feature.