Easy Shrimp and Crab Seafood Salad

Learn how to make an easy shrimp and crab salad with an easy recipe. This crab and shrimp salad recipe has been a tradition in our family for years. It always brings to mind memories of gatherings from the past and a few candlelit family dinners. Most of this seafood salad side dish can be prepared the night before, so there’s no last-minute rush to get everything on the table. My mouth is watering just thinking of this easy seafood salad recipe. It’s a shrimp and crab seafood extravaganza! Read on for the simple seafood salad recipe with crabmeat and shrimp.

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This seafood salad recipe appeared in the Food Day section of the Oregonian a number of years ago, having been reprinted from the “Favorites of ’63” bulletin in the now-defunct Oregon Journal. Originally, it was listed as “Mrs. Hager’s Shrimp, Crab, Bread Salad”. Now, wait a minute, don’t be weirded out by the bread part. It seems strange, I’ll admit, but it really helps pull everything together. In my family, we have modified the recipe by adding more seafood and less onion. So here is the recipe for my most-favorite special side-dish seafood salad with real crab meat, shrimp, and bread, which I’m very excited to share with you.

The Perfect Scenario for this Easy Seafood Salad Recipe

In my imagination, the perfect setting for serving this marvelous salad goes like this. A candlelit table is set for two, and a fire is crackling in the fireplace. Big band music is playing softly in the background. Fine china dishes, ornate silverware, and crystal goblets grace the table, which is draped in a deep burgundy tablecloth. I invite my dear husband to have a seat across from me, and we gaze adoringly at each other over a delectable pan of bubbling lasagna. Death by Chocolate Trifle is chilling in the refrigerator for dessert. But wait, something is missing. Oh yes, the irresistible side dish, seafood salad. I bring the previously-prepared salad plates to the table, ask a blessing, and commence enjoying the romantic dinner for two. Bliss! Of course, this scenario has never really happened, but it could. Maybe.

But I digress. Without further fanfare or flights of imagination, here’s the easy recipe for my ultimate favorite special side dish.

Equipment Needed for Shrimp and Crab Salad

This recipe would not be nearly as easy to make without one crucial kitchen tool: an electric knife. The one pictured below is exactly like the one I have, complete with a storage case. This knife is also very useful for carving a turkey or slicing a ham. It makes the slicing of the buttered bread loaf in this recipe a snap.

Ingredients for Easy Crab and Shrimp Seafood Salad

1 large loaf sliced white sandwich bread

Butter

1 tablespoon onion, finely chopped

4 hard-cooked eggs, finely chopped

1 pound of cooked shrimp (you could also use 2 or 3 cans of small shrimp, drained)

1/2 pound of fresh crab meat (you could also use 1 or 2 cans of crab meat)

1 cup finely cubed celery

3 cups mayonnaise (not salad dressing), more or less to taste

Directions for Easy Shrimp and Crab Seafood Salad

Cut crusts from bread and spread slices lightly with butter. Cut into small cubes so that each slice is cut into about 20 cubes. (I use an electric knife for this step.)

Add chopped onion and chopped hard-cooked eggs. Refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, add shrimp, crab, celery, and mayonnaise.

 

Mix lightly to combine very well. Cover and let stand 3 or 4 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

To serve, pile lightly on plates rimmed with salad greens. Garnish with slices of cucumbers and cherry tomatoes, if desired. Makes 12 generous servings.

Common Seafood Salad Questions

Do you put eggs in seafood salad?

Not all seafood salad recipes call for eggs. This easy shrimp and crab salad recipe does call for hard boiled eggs. The flavor complements the buttered bread and seafood flavors while balancing out the taste of the chopped onion.

What is seafood salad made of?

In the case of this recipe, the main ingredients, aside from the shrimp and crab meat, are bread, hard boiled eggs, butter, chopped onion, and chopped celery. The bread absorbs the flavors from the eggs, onions, shrimp and crab to create a pleasing blend for your tastebuds to savor.

Can you substitute salad dressing for the mayonnaise in this shrimp and crab salad?

By all means, do not substitute a salad dressing (like Miracle Whip, which I am fond of) in this recipe. The mellow flavor of the mayonnaise showcases the stronger flavors of the rest of the ingredients. Salad dressing of any kind would compete and possibly overshadow the seafood flavors.

 

 

Other Easy Salad Recipes You Might Enjoy

If you are a fan of salads, there are many main dish and side dish salads to choose from. For a simple main dish salad meal, you could make easy taco salad, warm spinach sausage salad, chicken avocado corn salad, or cabbage ramen chicken salad. Tasty side dish salads include berry mandarin tossed salad or ham and pea salad.

Is There Room for This Easy Seafood Salad Recipe at Your Next Celebratory Meal?

Is there room in your recipe repertoire for seafood salad? Let me know if you give this recipe a try. Better yet, take a picture and tag me on Instagram and I’ll feature you in my story.

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If you would like even more recipe ideas, consider following my Easy Recipes board on Pinterest. Have a fabulous day, and enjoy experiencing shrimp and crab seafood salad.

 

 

 

Lisa Mitchell is a wife, mom, and school librarian who likes to create and share recipes, often using fresh ingredients from her family’s small Pacific Northwest farm. To learn more about what this website has to offer, click on over to the Food page.

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