Highly seasoned boiled crab and claws, marinated in a vinegar and oil dressing, with fresh vegetables, lemon and lots of garlic.
Marinated Blue Crab Salad
From the time that I was a little girl, tying down chicken backs into crab nets on a Biloxi pier with my Grandma Mac, fresh crabs have been such a central part of my life.
In gumbo or stuffed into the shell, made into crab cakes or patties, stuffed into po'boy bread, or jumbo shrimp, in pasta, even that hot crab dip that shows up at pretty much every event in existence around here, I can't even imagine a life without some fresh blue crab in it.
When we get them live, we boil them in a highly seasoned tub of deliciousness down here, unlike the steamed seafood method from further up the east shoreline, where they share a love of blue crab.
I suppose that when you hear the words "crab salad," you probably think more along the lines of either a green salad featuring crab, or the old school classic crab salad made with mayonnaise and also sometimes combined with pasta. Folks around here tend to call this mixture of crab, with loads of garlic and veggies, a crab salad too. I call it marinated cracked crab, so you may see it referred to either way.
It's best of course, that you start with crabs that you've boiled and highly seasoned yourself, or buy already boiled from a trusted seafood market that knows how to season them right. Most people around here pick a cooler of them up straight from the crab boats and use any leftovers to make this marinated crab salad.
This is definitely a messy dish, intended to be picked and consumed with fingers, something that the Cajun isn't much a fan of doing. Although he loves crabmeat, he'd rather someone else do the picking - it's just too much trouble for him.
That's okay, because I absolutely love them - more for me!
Here's how to make this marinated crab salad, and as always, just swipe or scroll past the step-by-step pictures for the full recipe text, with measurements, instructions and a printable!
In a separate bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients and set aside.
Clean the crabs and split crab bodies in half.
Lightly crack claws; remove and discard any small shards and pieces of shell that break off. Add them along with the cleaned crab bodies to a large, lidded plastic bowl.
Top with bell pepper, celery, garlic, bay leaves and green onion.
Squeeze lemons on top, add parsley.
Give it a gentle toss.
Pour dressing on top and gently toss to coat.
Cover and refrigerate up 8 hours or up to 48 hours, gently stirring several times. Let come to room temperature before serving.
That's a bowl of deliciousness!
To serve with the sauce,melt butter in saucepan; add garlic and seasonings; sauté until garlic is fragrant. Remove from heat, let cool slightly and pour over crabs just before serving or offer in small individual bowls for dipping. Serve with a good, bottled beer and warm French bread.
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