Imitation Crab Salad

Imitation Crab Salad is popular in Hawaii and used in many dishes! This quick and easy recipe is versatile, with a few touches that make it extra local! Eat it with rice, poke-style, or roll it up to make mini sushi rolls. All ways are good ^_^

This whole dish comes together in 10 minutes or less!

It's store bought imitation crab flakes mixed with mayonnaise (Kewpie, please) and good pantry seasonings that are loved and familiar to our local taste buds.

What are those seasonings?

Furikake, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and green onions ^_^

We use imitation crab salad to make everything from homemade sushi rolls and wrap to a super fabulous sushi cake.

Imitation crab salad is also just really tasty when topped over a bowl of hot rice (served in the same spirit of tuna rice). Even better if you have a scoop of ahi poke or salmon poke in the same bowl!

Imitation Crab Salad In Hawaii

You'll see imitation crab salad for sale at many places in Hawaii. All the local supermarkets sell it at the deli / seafood section. Sometimes it's placed next to the fresh poke, sold by the pound.

Other times it's sold in prepackaged containers...

...like this! You'll see the plain version and a spicy version. Take your pick! The "salad versions" usually have mayonnaise mixed into it...

...and sometimes you'll find "poke versions" that are seasoned without mayonnaise like this Hawaiian-Style Imitation Crab Poke pictured above from the Ala Moana location of Foodland. It's basically this poke but made with imitation crab instead of ahi.

For today's recipe we're making that version that uses mayonnaise. It's the more popular version. It's also super versatile!

For the imitation crab meat, many markets sell both imitation crab sticks (also called leg-style) and imitation crab flakes.

You can use either version, but I prefer the flakes for this recipe.

Here's a closer look at the flake version. Nice big pieces!

Note: the stick/leg version is fun when you want to make really finely shredded imitation crab salad. I've seen many poke shops do this and serve it as a side topping for poke bowls.

Furikake

Another key ingredient in this dish is furikake. We use furikake in everything from chex mix to salmon. And even animal crackers! We really love furikake in Hawaii.

You can use any brand of furikake, but this is the most common (and very tasty).

I love fancy furikake as much as the next person (especially the ones from The Rice Factory), but for this dish you want the classic supermarket furikake. Make sure to get the one with the blue color on the label.

It's often on sale at the markets. I got 2 bottles for $5 at Longs Drugs yesterday (that's their weekly newspaper ad pictured above). Note for mainland friends: Longs is secretly a CVS. But in Hawaii, it's forever Longs.

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need:

• Imitation crab flakes - You can use crab sticks if you can't find flakes. If you use sticks, slice the sticks at a diagonal to make pieces that are about 1-inch long.
• Mayonnaise - Ideally Kewpie mayonnaise...so good!
• Furikake - You can use any kind of furikake, but this one is most popular in Hawaii. You can find it at all the markets here.
• Sesame oil
• Sesame seeds
• Green onions

Instructions

Let's get cooking!

Prepare the imitation crab meat.
Remove the imitation crab meat flakes and gently pat dry with a paper towel. Use your hands to break apart the flakes into individual pieces. Place in a bowl.

Season and mix.
Add the mayonnaise, furikake, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and chopped green onions to the bowl. Gently mix until everything is evenly combined. Give it a taste and feel free to add more of any ingredient if you'd like. Then it is ready to eat!

Serve and enjoy!
If you're not planning to eat the crab salad right away, store it in the refrigerator in a sealed container. Take it out of the refrigerator 5-10 minutes before eating. It good chilled, but you don't want to serve it super cold.

FAQ

Imitation Crab Salad Recipe