Our easy crab salad sandwich recipe only needs 3 ingredients to become a good high protein lunch! Made with imitation crab, pickles and mayonnaise you can make in 10 minutes to serve on bread or with crackers.

A spoonful of creamy crab salad with diced vegetables is held above a white bowl, solid for a fresh Crab Salad Sandwich.

We think imitation crab doesn't get enough credit. We love seafood but can't always afford to buy it so this is a great alternative. We've used it in so many ways but this may be our favorite lunch that even our kids will devour!

If you too love few ingredient recipes this will be a winner for you too….and there are many ways you can tweak it to your liking too. We basically combined the same 3 ingredients that we would normally mix together to make a tuna sandwich but used this protein instead.

There are many brands of “fake crab” out there but we will say in all the years we haven't been able to tell the difference. Store brands are so similar to more expensive bags so we tend to save a few dollars and buy that. You can buy sticks or flake style, either one works with this recipe.

Jars of mayonnaise and pickles with a package of surimi crab sticks on a kitchen counter.

Crab Salad Sandwich Ingredients

You are going to start out with a vacuum sealed bag of imitation crab as you see here. As for how you dice it up that is up to you. We do the easiest method which is to chop it up with a sharp knife and call it a day. You could shred each lump like our crab deviled eggs but that takes longer.

Can you use canned crab?

You certainly could use a can of crab meat, drain that and chop it up. We honestly feel the fake stuff has more flavor and texture as canned is a bit mushy but yes a substitute if you prefer. Going further this is how to cook frozen crab legs if you want to go all out from scratch.

To give it some crunch our favorite add in to give it a punch of flavor would be to dice up a whole dill pickle. Yes you could use relish but personally that has a lot more liquid that thins out the mixture and the pieces are too teeny tiny, we like them bigger.

To make it creamy we add mayonnaise. We prefer Best Foods over Miracle Whip because you already get a bit of a vinegar flavor with the pickles, but either one works.

Optional Add-Ins

Some prefer to dice up stalks of celery instead of pickles, or add both together into the mixture. Diced onions are another option if you want to pack in the vegetables. We don't feel like it needs any seasonings but you may want to experiment with a pinch of salt or everything seasoning if you feel it needs more wow.

Can you add cheese?

Certainly when you add some of this in between two slices of bread you could add cheese, a slice or two, on there too. If we were to choose a type we would prefer provolone or even muenster would be a great one.

Chopped pickles, imitation crab meat, and mayonnaise in a white mixing bowl.

A bowl of creamy salad with diced vegetables and imitation crab, mixed with a spoon.

Crab Salad Mistakes

We think the worst mistake you can make when you create any sort of meat mixture like this is to add too much mayonnaise. You want enough to make it kinda' creamy, stick together but not too much that is tames down the flavor of the fish and other ingredients.

How to Serve

We don't always serve this on bread, but you certainly could. Between two slices lay inside with cheese and/or a few slices of avocado and serve. We have been trying to eat high protein meals which means we typically will eat with a spoon and/or with a few Wheat Thins to scoop it up like you see here, with Cucumber Dill Salad on the side rocks.

A crab salad sandwich roll filled with creamy crab salad and chopped celery, served on a plate.

Kitchen questions

What can you use other than mayonnaise to make crab salad?

Instead of mayonnaise you can use plain greek yogurt. Know that there will be a different flavor but it will keep it creamy and add a lot of protein too so it this is a great way to make this favorite lunch healthier too.

Should you put mustard in crab salad?

That is personal preference but we do not like it. If you feel like it needs a bit of vinegar zing to it then by all means a dab of yellow mustard would do the trick. Instead we prefer to add dill pickles inside to give it that same punch.

How can you make crab salad sandwich low carb?

Skip the bread! Instead of adding your mixture on to 2 pieces of bread you can instead spoon it into a piece of lettuce and wrap it up. This is a great way to still eat it with your hands but without any carbs.

How do you save leftovers?

You will need to refrigerate your leftovers. Keep in an airtight container to prevent smells from leaking in, and it will keep it moist in a sealed container too. Enjoy again within 3 days.

Can you freeze leftovers?

We personally wouldn't because it will alter the texture a bit when it is thawed in the fridge but you could. You would want to spoon it into a pint size freezer bag and lay flat in the freezer. Put into the fridge overnight to defrost and enjoy the next day.

Crab Salad Sandwich Recipe

By Our easy crab salad sandwich recipe only needs 3 ingredients! A good high protein lunch with imitation crab, pickles and mayonnaise. Prep: 10 minutes minsCook: 0 minutes minsServings: 4 Save Recipe Saved! Pin Recipe Comment Print Recipe

Equipment

1 Bowl
1 knife
1 cutting board

Ingredients

2 cups imitation crab chopped up into small pieces
1 whole dill pickle, or 1/3 cup relish
1/4 cup mayonnaise

Instructions

We think this is best dicing up a whole or halved pickles but you could use relish if you want. We prefer dill but bread and butter pickles work fine too if you prefer those. Chop up into small bite size pieces and add to your bowl.
Chop up the imitation crab into small bite size pieces and put into bowl too with mayonnaise and stir until well coated.
Serve on crackers or in between 2 slices of bread if you prefer.