Easy to make Crab Lettuce Wraps are packed with real crab meat, your favorite vegetables and dressed in a most a delicious and creamy Tartar sauce. Serve these lettuce cups as an appetizer or main meal.
Crab Lettuce Cups
Whenever I get a hold of a can of Crab meat, I usually make Crab cakes. This time, however, I decided to switch things up and try something new, like these Crab Salad Packed Lettuce Cups.
They are an easy and delicious way to enjoy Crab meat and you'll love the crunchy bite from the lettuce and all the vegetables.
Aside from the fact, that these Lettuce Wraps are packed with real Crab meat, my other favorite thing about this recipe is a sauce.
Creamy and tangy, with capers and crunchy dill pickles, this quick Tartar sauce takes only 5 minutes to make. It works beautifully in this recipe, but also can be a great accompaniment to other seafood dishes, like my Salmon Oreganata or Pistachio Crusted Salmon.
How to make Crab Lettuce Wraps
Pick through the crab meat
To make these delicious Crab Salad Lettuce Wraps, first I recommend picking through the crab meat. This will ensure there are no tiny bits of shell or sand that made their way into the can.
To do this, simply lay out the Crab meat on a large plate or baking sheet and gently feel the crab meat with your fingers. Discard any shells or pieces of sand.
Make Tartar Sauce
In a medium bowl add 1 cup of mayo, 2 tablespoon of minced pickles, 1 teaspoon of capers, ½ teaspoon of yellow or Dijon mustard, ¼ teaspoon of pepper, 2 tablespoon of minced chives and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Mix everything nicely and place in a fridge while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
Make Crab Meat Salad
In a large bowl combine Crab meat, 1 cubed avocado, 1 cup of finely chopped red bell pepper, 2 cups of finely diced cucumbers, 1 boiled and diced potato and 2 tablespoon of chives. Pour about a half of Tartar sauce over the salad and mix it well. If the mixture is too dry, add more sauce to it.
You'll likely have the leftovers of the sauce, so pour it in the airtight container and store in a fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Assemble the Crab Lettuce Salad Wrap
Spoon about 2 tablespoon of the Crab Salad into the center of each lettuce leaf. Serve immediately as an appetizer or main dish.
What to use for Lettuce Wraps?
For the Lettuce Wraps you can use any type of greens with wide big leafs. My favorite choice would be Butterhead lettuce (also called Boston lettuce), Romaine lettuce or Belgian endive.
You can even use Radicchio leaves. Despite their bold and bitter flavor, they hold their shape up nicely and work great in recipes like this.
If you make this recipe, make sure to snap a photo and post it on Instagram with a hashtag #lavenderandmacarons.
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Recipe
Crab Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- 1 lb lump crab meat
- 1 avocado cubed
- 1 c bell pepper finely chopped
- 2 c cucumbers finely diced
- 1 medium red potato
- 2 tablespoon chives
- 1 head Butterhead (Boston) lettuce or Romaine lettuce
Tartar Sauce
- 1 c mayo
- 2 tablespoon pickled cucumbers finely minced
- 1 teaspoon capers
- ½ teaspoon mustard yellow or Dijon
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon chives
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
To make Tartar Sauce
- In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients for the sauce and mix everything nicely. Place the sauce in a fridge while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
To make Crab Salad
- Start off by removing any bits of shell or sand from the crab meat. This step is optional, but I really recommend you do it. (The last thing you want is to have pieces of crab shell stuck between your teeth.)To do it, lay out the Crab meat on a large plate or baking sheet and gently feel the crab meat with your fingers. Discard any shells or pieces of sand.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, add potato and cook on a medium heat until tender and fully cooked, about 15-20 minutes.
- In a large bowl combine Crab meat, cubed avocado, chopped red bell pepper, diced cucumbers, diced potato and chives. Pour about a half of Tartar sauce over the salad and mix it well. If the mixture is too dry, add more sauce. Refrigerate the leftovers of Tartar sauce in the airtight container.
- Spoon about 2 tablespoon of the Crab Salad into the center of each lettuce leaf. Serve immediately as an appetizer or main dish.
Nutrition
Iryna Bychkiv is the founder and writer of the culinary website Lavender & Macarons, where she shares clean, European-inspired recipes that are delicious, easy to prepare, and made with wholesome ingredients. Iryna loves creating meals that are simple yet healthy and unique, including vegan and vegetarian recipes.
Iryna is also a freelance writer for MSN and Associated Press Wire.
Bartkova Natalia says
Super nice looking salad- appetizer and delicious too, love it.
Iryna says
Thank you!
Balvinder says
This sounds so delicious, I love using cabbage or lettuce to make wraps – so much fresher than bread ones! But I have yet to make with real crab meat.
Iryna says
Lettuce wraps with a crab meat is a real treat. You should definitely try it:)
Easyfoodsmith says
That's a fabulous recipe especially for entertaining.
Iryna says
Thank you so much!