Recipe: Crab Pasta Salad*

Outdoor parties, camping, and other summer get-togethers seem to come in rapid succession from Memorial to Labor Day, all requiring lots of grocery shopping and food preparation.  When I think of picnic food, salad always comes to mind because it is cool, transportable, and there are never-ending kinds to choose from, with everyone having their own twist on the traditional.  So you brought a potato salad to the family reunion and so did Aunt Wanda?  No worries, because yours and hers will mostly likely be as different as if they came from different planets!

I have lots of favorite salads I like to make, few of which actually have a recipe written down.  Salad is one of those food categories where every family has their own version based on how Grandma did it.  My grandma, for example, put cooked peas and carrots in her potato salad for a lovely, colorful effect, not to mention the added health benefits.  This is the family potato salad everlasting, and no one in their right mind would think of messing with it!  Any why would they, when it’s the best potato salad ever to grace a picnic table? 

At this point everyone is expecting me to explain the recipe for Grandma’s salad, but if I told you I’d have to kill you (and did I mention it’s not written down?) So instead, I want to share my Crab Pasta Salad instructions, which is somewhat removed from Grandma’s day, although Mom and I have both made it countless times.  This is very simple to make, and I promise it will get gobbled quickly at the reunion—maybe even before Aunt Wanda’s potato salad! 

The photographs you see below are not for this recipe.  I didn’t have a picture of my own, so I found some photos that looked somewhat like my salad.  You can see the shell pasta and the crab, but picture it with celery, green pepper, and green onion diced more finely than this shows—you get the idea.

16 oz bag small shell shaped pasta, cooked in salted water, rinsed in cold water, then rinsed again and drained well.  Do not overcook.

1 pound imitation crab (I buy the best brand I can find – or get it straight from the deli).  My favorite brand is called “Crab Classic,” (I think it’s in a blue and orange/red package).  At Maceys it is in that tall freezer case in the meat department to the left of the butcher case.  Place the package in fridge to thaw before using.  Don’t get the kind molded into sticks—get the chunks.  Open this and flake apart each chunk into nice shreds with your fingers.

1 large green bell pepper, diced.  Cut it carefully by hand so it looks nice and is uniform.  I have never tried using red bell pepper, but I think it would be good too, and look pretty.

1 whole bunch green onions, sliced fine. 

Several tender stalks of inner pieces of celery, diced the same size as the peppers.

Best Foods Brand Mayonnaise. I wouldn’t use light or fat free, or a lesser brand.  You will probably need a good portion of the bottle.  Everyone is different in how much dressing they like to use, so just adjust it to what you prefer.

Salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste.

Mix together the veggies, crab, and pasta.  Mix some salt and pepper into the mayo (probably about ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper to start).  Add about 2 teaspoons lemon juice.  After mixing this sauce into the other ingredients, taste it and add more salt and pepper if needed.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Keep in fridge no more than two to three days. 

NOTE:  You can also add some cooked shrimp, ½ lb or more, with the crab to turn it into “Seafood Salad.”

OK:  Here's a photo of Grandma's Potato Salad

*Originally distributed June 2014