This ensalada de jaiba or imitation crab salad is absolutely delicious.
It can be served for lunch or even dinner.
There’s no cooking required so it’s perfect on a hot summer day.
What is imitation crab salad made of?
There are many variations of ensalada de jaiba (imitation crab salad).
The one I’m sharing today consists of:
- imitation crab meat
- celery
- red onion
- cilantro
- celery leaves
- dried chives
- Lawry’s garlic salt
- Old bay seasoning
- black pepper
- lime juice
- mayonnaise
How to serve imitation crab salad?
This imitation crab salad can be eaten as is, on crackers, on tostadas or even in a sandwich.
My favorite way is on tostadas.
It’s so good however you choose to eat it!
How do you make ensalada de jaiba?
Ensalada de jaiba is pretty easy to make.
I love making it on days when I really don’t feel like cooking.
And I love to make enough for leftovers the next day.
The hardest part is shredding the imitation crab.
Which isn’t really hard at all just a little time consuming.
You’ll need imitation crab of course.
The one pictured below is chunk style.
You can use either this or flake style imitation crab meat.
I prefer to use flake style but either one works just fine.
What I like to do first is shred the imitation crab meat with my hands.
Then I take a knife and chop it into smaller pieces.
Then transfer it to a bowl.
You don’t have to chop it up after shredding I just prefer smaller pieces of meat.
Next finely chop the red onion and celery.
Add it to the bowl of shredded imitation crab meat.
Then chop the cilantro and celery leaves and add it to the bowl as well.
Next add the dried chives, garlic salt, old bay seasoning, black pepper, mayonnaise and lime juice.
Mix everything together really with a large spoon until everything is well combined.
Serve the ensalada de jaiba immediately or refrigerate it if it won’t be served until later.
Imitation crab is a staple in my home.
We enjoy it often.
I also love making it into imitation crab cakes.
They’re absolutely delicious!
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I hope you enjoyed today’s recipe!
However you choose to serve it it is sure to be delicious!
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Ensalada de Jaiba (Imitation Crab Salad)
Ensalada de jaiba is a delicious and easy recipe that is perfect served as is or with crackers, bread or even tostadas.
Ingredients
- 1 lb imitation crab chunk or flake style
- 2 celery sticks
- 1/4 of a red onion
- 3 tbs cilantro chopped
- 1 tbs celery leaves chopped
- 1 tsp dried chives
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt I use Lawry's
- 1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- black pepper to taste
- 1/4 of a lime juiced
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
Instructions
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Shred the imitation crab meat. Then chop it into smaller pieces. Transfer it to a large bowl.
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Finely chop the celery and red onion and add it to the bowl.
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Next chop the cilantro and celery leaves and add it to the bowl.
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Then add the dried chives, garlic salt, Old Bay seasoning, black pepper, mayonnaise and lime juice to the bowl and stir with a large spoon until everything is well combined.
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Serve the salad immediately as is or with crackers, tostadas or on bread.
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Refrigerate any leftovers.