Chili Crisp Dungeness Crab Salad

Recently I received a package in the mail from the Wild Alaskan Company. I knew before breaking the seal that there would be some excellent things in that cardboard box at the door, but I was still surprised when I slit through the tape to reveal the array of incredible wild-caught Alaskan seafood within. Even amidst the different cuts of salmon, pollock, sablefish, Pacific cod, and all the rest, however, one particular package caught my eye as the first avenue for exploration. There was a lot of beautiful fish in that box, but as soon as I saw the six ounces of dungeness crab meat, I knew that was going to be the first thing that I ate.

With something as wonderful as a package of dungeness crab, you don’t want to do too much. You could eat it straight out of the bag and it would be incredible. Even something so delicious on its own, though, can be carefully augmented into an even better dish. Plus, adding a few extra ingredients lets you stretch those six ounces into a much larger plate. For this recipe, I tried to keep the flavor of the crab at the fore, bringing in just enough richness and aroma to complement the crustacean without overwhelming it. The result, I think, is a pretty spectacular snack, a simple crab salad with a bit of mayo, chili crisp, and scallion, as well as a splash of rice vinegar, that lets the crab stay in the spotlight, with everything else simply providing a wonderful complementary backdrop. Within just a few minutes of mixing it up, the entire bowl was gone, so this is definitely one that you’ll want to add to the list.

Chili Crisp Crab Salad

A simple crab salad seasoned with just enough chili crisp and minced scallion to elevate the meat without distracting from its natural briny sweetness.

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 6 oz dungeness crab meat
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp chili crisp
• 2 tsp minced scallions
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• crackers for serving
• crispy fried onions or shallots to garnish (optional)
• additional thinly sliced scallions to garnish (optional)

Method

 

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
2. Spoon the crab salad onto crackers and garnish with fried onions and scallions, if desired.