Ingredients
- 1 lb. elbow pasta
- 1-2 packs of imitation crab 8 ounce packs, 1 for less or 2 for more crab in the salad
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup red onion diced
- 1/2 cup celery diced
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper diced
- 1 tbsp. dill
- 2 tsp. old bay
- 1 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Chives for topping
Instructions
- Cook the pasta, according to box directions. Drain, rinse in cold water, and drain again.
- For the dressing, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, dill, old bay, salt, and pepper.
- Add the pasta to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the crab, peas, onion, celery, and bell pepper. Toss.
- Add the dressing, and fold together until the salad is well coated.
- Add additional salt and pepper, to taste.
- When serving, top with fresh chives.
Nutrition
Notes
Pro Tips
- Season like it's going to be cold, because it is: Chilled food dulls salt and spice, so a dressing that tastes perfectly seasoned at room temperature will taste shy after an hour in the fridge. Season boldly and taste again cold. It's the single biggest difference between homemade and deli-case pasta salad.
- Cut the crab bigger than feels right: Fat chunks survive the folding and the chilling. Thin slices disappear. If you want people to know there's crab in your crab pasta salad, size is everything.
- Give it the overnight treatment: This salad is good in an hour and great the next day. Make it the evening before your cookout and let the fridge do the flavor work.
- Keep it cold on the table: Nest the serving bowl in a bigger bowl of ice at outdoor parties. Mayo salads should never sit in the sun longer than an hour.
- Extra Old Bay on top: A light dusting over the finished bowl alongside the chives looks great and announces the flavor before anyone takes a bite.
- Double the batch for a real crowd: This recipe scales perfectly. Just mix the dressing separately in both batches so the seasoning stays even.