Skip to content

Crab Louie

San Francisco crab salad with pink Louie dressing

Crab Louie was on the menus of San Francisco's grand hotels and wharf restaurants by the early 1900s and is still a winter lunch when Dungeness crab is in season. Sweet crab meat is heaped on crisp lettuce with hard-boiled eggs, tomato, asparagus and avocado, and covered with a creamy, tangy pink dressing. Chef's tip: keep the crab in big pieces and add the dressing at the table, so the salad stays crisp.
Total time
35 min
Difficulty
easy
Serves
4
One step at a time, big text, timers, read-aloud. Your screen stays on.

Ingredients

Serves4

For the dressing

For the salad

Shop this recipe on Amazon

Fresh ingredients (7)

Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.

Method

0/6 done
  1. Step 1: Mix the ½ cup mayonnaise, 3 tbsp tomato chilli sauce or ketchup, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp horseradish sauce, 2 gherkins, 1 spring onion and ¼ tsp paprika and chill.

    5 min
  2. Step 2: Lower the 4 eggs into boiling water for 10 minutes, then cool in cold water, peel and quarter.

    12 min
  3. Step 3: Blanch the 12 asparagus spears in boiling salted water for 2–3 minutes until bright green and just tender, then cool in iced water. A common mistake is overcooking it until it droops.

    4 min
  4. Step 4: Feel through the 14 oz white crab meat, preferably Dungeness for shell but keep the meat in large pieces.

    3 min
  5. Step 5: Pile the 1 iceberg or romaine lettuce on four plates and arrange the crab in the middle with the eggs, 2 tomatoes, 1 avocado, asparagus and 12 black olives around it.

    5 min
  6. Step 6: Serve with the dressing and 4 lemon wedges on the side.

    1 min

Nutrition per serving

Calories
380 kcal
Protein
26 g
Carbs
12 g
Fat
26 g
Fibre
4 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

K
Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does crab Louie take?
About 35 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?
4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
Is it gluten free?
Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
What can I use instead of lemon juice?
Lime juice, same amount.
What can I use instead of spring onion?
Chives, or a little finely sliced onion.

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.

Rate this recipe

Sign in to rate and review this recipe.

Mix capsicum peanut salad

A crunchy salad of red, yellow and green peppers with roasted peanuts, cucumber, carrots and celery, dressed with lemon, dill, mint and celery leaves. Just before serving, olive oil mixed with sesame seeds is poured over the top. It's colourful, filling and full of protein.

20 minSaladsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 2 views

All-way potato salad

Warm new potatoes boiled in their skins and tossed in one of three dressings: creamy parsley sour cream, a tangy basil vinaigrette, or a fresh 'greeny' dressing of cottage cheese and herbs. Each dressing is enough for 500 g of potatoes, so make one, or make all three for a party. Serve the salad chilled on a bed of lettuce with a spoonful of single cream on top.

40 minSaladsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 1 views

Greek village salad

A true Greek salad has no lettuce: just ripe tomatoes, crunchy cucumber, sharp onion and olives, dressed with good olive oil and dried oregano, with a whole slab of feta on top. Salt the tomatoes first and they'll make their own dressing.

by KrazyBadal 1 views