Champagne Tastes®

  • About
  • Travel
    • Food Travel
    • Outdoor Adventure
  • Recipe Index
    • Garden To Table
    • Seafood
    • Camping Recipes
    • Ferment
    • Backyard Foraging + Wild Game
    • Cooking Basics
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • Garden To Table
  • Seafood
  • Ferment
  • Foraging + Wild Game
  • Cooking Basics
  • Camping Recipes
  • Outdoor Adventure
  • Food Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Seafood

    King Crab Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

    Published: Aug 20, 2017 · Modified: Nov 21, 2023 · 17 Comments

    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
    This grilled King Crab salad is served with a creamy avocado dressing. It's delicious at home or on a picnic, and is a light, refreshing, and healthy seafood salad!

    This king crab salad is a delicious seafood salad served with grilled crab, creamy avocado dressing, boiled eggs, and mixed greens.

    Grilled King Crab Salad with Creamy Avocado.

    Have you tried King crab yet?

    To me, these crawly sea monsters do NOT appear edible, and quite honestly are a little scary-looking, but I'm incredibly grateful to whoever figured out that they make a fabulous dinner!

    Today we're cooking with legs from red King crab, a crab that can grow up to 5 feet in length and golden (or brown) King crab, its slightly smaller relative.  

    I'll walk you through how to open up the crab legs (even without a crab cracker!), and how to make a healthy and delicious King crab salad.

    Want more crab recipes? Try crab nachos, a crab omelette, King crab Louie salad, Dungeness crab eggs benedict, crab fries and mini crab cakes.

    Golden King Crab Legs + Red King Crab Legs.

    Buying Crab Legs

    What should you look for when you're buying king crab legs?  

    For the most part, king crab is harvested off the Alaskan and Norwegian coastlines in the Barents Sea, and is considered a highly sustainably-sourced seafood.  

    King crab legs will almost always be sold frozen and precooked.

    Red King Vs. Golden King Crab

    For this recipe, use either (or both) red king crab legs or golden (brown) king crab legs.

    What's the difference?

    The flavor is slightly different-- some people claim red king crab is sweeter, and some claim that golden king crab is sweeter.  The meat is interchangeable in this recipe, so use whichever you prefer!

    How to Grill King Crab Legs

    Grilling king crab legs is pretty straightforward-- simply get your grill hot, brush the legs with oil, and set them on the grill in a single layer.

    If you've let the frozen legs thaw, you'll grill them for about 4 minutes, and if they're still frozen, grill them for about 10 minutes.  Use grill tongs to turn them about halfway through the grill time.

    Crab legs on grill.
    Crab legs on grill.

    Want more tips about how to grill seafood?  Check out this post on How to Grill Fish! 

    Can I Steam the Crab Legs Instead?

    You sure can!

    Cracking King Crab Legs

    There are lots of different techniques to crack open crab legs. Here's how I do it.

    First, cut the crab legs apart at each joint.  

    Cut off the shoulder meat (but don't throw it away!), and pull out the long plastic-like cartilage strips.

    Next, use a seafood cracker, a nutcracker, or the back of a wooden spoon to crush the shell slightly. You can also use a knife or kitchen shears to split open the shells.

    Peel off the Shells.
    Peel off the Shells

    Once the shells are open, remove the meat. Hold onto the shells to make homemade seafood stock.

    Need more help cracking the crab shells? Check out my tutorial on how to crack crab legs.

    How to Make Grilled King Crab Salad

    Once you've grilled the king crab legs and removed the meat, go ahead and start assembling your salad.  

    You'll need lettuce (I like to use a spinach and romaine mixture), some boiled eggs, diced tomato, and a few lime wedges on the side.

    For the avocado dressing, simply blend together an avocado, a little yogurt, and some lime juice.  

    Top the salad with the crab meat, and serve this salad at home, at a picnic, or wherever your crab-loving friends will be!

    Grilled King Crab Salad with Creamy Avocado
    This Grilled King Crab Salad with Creamy Avocado is delicious at home or at a picnic, and is a light, refreshing, and healthy seafood salad!
    Print Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
    5 from 10 votes

    King Crab Recipe: Crab Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

    This king crab salad is a delicious seafood salad served with grilled crab, creamy avocado dressing, boiled eggs, and mixed greens.
    Author: Sarah Trenalone
    Total Time45 minutes mins
    Course: Main Course, Salad
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Gluten Free
    Servings: 4 people
    Calories: 249kcal
    Freezer Friendly?
    No
    Will It Keep?
    No
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    Salad:

    • 1 pound King Crab Legs See Recipe Notes
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 4 ounces fresh spinach
    • 1 Romaine heart, roughly chopped
    • 4 boiled eggs (or more if desired), halved
    • 1 large tomato, diced (or more if desired)
    • 2 limes, quartered

    Creamy Avocado Dressing:

    • 1 avocado
    • ½ cup plain yogurt
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • 1 lime, juiced

    Instructions

    Grilling Crab:

    • Preheat grill to medium-high heat.  Brush legs with olive oil to prevent them from sticking to the grill.  Place crab legs on grill in a single layer, and grill 4-5 minutes total for thawed crab legs or 10-11 minutes total for frozen legs.  Flip legs about halfway through grill time.

    Removing Crab Meat:

    • Use a crab cracker to remove crab meat from shells, or use a chef’s knife and kitchen shears.  (Check the Recipe Notes for a tutorial link.)

    Creamy Avocado Dressing:

    • Add avocado, yogurt, lime juice, and salt to a blender basin.  Blend until creamy.  (This dressing is thick, allowing it to work as both a dressing and a sauce to dip the crab into.  If you prefer a thinner dressing, add more lime juice.)

    Assemble the Salad:

    • Toss together the romaine hearts and spinach.  Use the lettuce as a base for the salad, and then add the tomatoes, boiled eggs, and crab.  Serve with limes and the avocado dressing.

    Notes

    Serves 4 as a main course or 6-8 as a side dish.
    Crab is typically sold either pre-cooked or alive.  This recipe assumes that you are using pre-cooked King crab legs.
    Need more help prepping the crab? Learn more here: How to Steam + Crack Crab Legs
    No grill?  Steamed king crab legs work perfectly in this recipe.
    Nutrition information does not include the olive oil, since it is not consumed.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 249kcal (12%) | Carbohydrates: 14g (5%) | Protein: 15g (30%) | Fat: 17g (26%) | Saturated Fat: 4g (25%) | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 180mg (60%) | Sodium: 417mg (18%) | Potassium: 762mg (22%) | Fiber: 6g (25%) | Sugar: 4g (4%) | Vitamin A: 5748IU (115%) | Vitamin C: 35mg (42%) | Calcium: 138mg (14%) | Iron: 3mg (17%)
    Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!

    More Seafood

    • Pan-seared campfire fish fillets on plate with salad.
      Campfire Pan-Seared Fish
    • pan-seared striped bass on a serving tray.
      Pan-Seared Striped Bass
    • pan-seared walleye on a serving tray.
      Pan-Seared Walleye
    • lobster on a platter with butter sauce, lemon wedges + garlic
      Lobster Butter Sauce

    About Sarah Trenalone

    Sarah is the primary creator at Champagne Tastes. She's a photographer, food writer and traveler, and is certified in Backcountry Kitchen and Backcountry Navigation from the Colorado Outward Bound School and Identifying Wild Plants from Backpacker.

    5 from 10 votes (1 rating without comment)

    Leave a Comment: Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Comments

    1. Dawn - Girl Heart Food says

      August 21, 2017 at 9:54 am

      5 stars
      I LOVE crab!! Especially when dunked in butter! I've never grilled it before, though! It's a little bit of work, but oh so worth it! This looks fabulous Sarah 🙂

      Reply
      • champagne-tastes says

        August 21, 2017 at 10:17 am

        It IS a little bit of work isn't it?! But Oh so worth it!!!

        Reply
    2. Meg | Meg is Well says

      August 21, 2017 at 10:13 am

      5 stars
      I need to try more types of crab! I always eat Dungeness. I couldn't agree with you more though, king crab is by far the freakiest of the crab species! I've also never grilled crab so I'd love to try it now.

      Reply
      • champagne-tastes says

        August 21, 2017 at 10:15 am

        I've got a Dungeness recipe coming for you in about a week and a half! 😀 And yessss they're downright terrifying- 5 feet long!?! I'm glad I don't have to catch them! And you could grill Dungeness too- King is perfect for grilling because it's too big to fit inside any of my pots hahaha

        Reply
    3. Elaine @ Dishes Delish says

      August 22, 2017 at 3:18 pm

      5 stars
      I love king crab legs. Your salad looks simply divine. I want to make it soon! Like this weekend soon!

      Reply
    4. Lisa | Garlic & Zest says

      August 23, 2017 at 10:32 am

      5 stars
      Well, this is a treat! I can't remember the last time I had king crab... which means its been years. I've never tried grilling them before, but it seems like a much simpler preparation -- especially for summer and delicious on a vibrant salad. That dressing sounds like a bit of awesome-sauce too. Seriously, why don't you live next door?

      Reply
    5. champagne-tastes says

      August 28, 2017 at 8:24 am

      Yeah you do!!! 😀 YUM

      Reply
    6. michele says

      August 28, 2017 at 5:22 pm

      5 stars
      You have just made my husband so happy... I never open my own crab legs because I just didn't even know how to start to get the meat out without sending shells everywhere.. so I would always make him crack it for me. Ive also never thought to grill the crab legs... Its still summer hot here for a while so I will definitely be trying them cooked that way... so much easier than steaming them like I usually do!

      Reply
      • champagne-tastes says

        September 04, 2017 at 5:58 pm

        Haha.. maybe when you start cracking them you'll wish you hadn't told him you knew how 😛 I'd still be totally fine with having the hubs crack them all!!! 😀
        And yessss these wouldn't fit in any of my pots for steaming!

        Reply
    7. Donna says

      August 29, 2017 at 5:18 pm

      5 stars
      Oh I need to check and see if I can get this seafood anywhere nearby - I am sure our co-op has it. My 3yo is totally obsessed with crab, and every time we go to the store he has to get out of the cart and inspect the wares in the seafood cabinet. I actually let him pick one to buy last time and he was just over the moon. I am beyond sure that this dish would go down well in our house - looks so delicious!!

      Reply
      • champagne-tastes says

        September 04, 2017 at 5:56 pm

        Aw thank you! And that's so awesome that he loves seafood- he has excellent taste!

        Reply
    8. Amanda says

      September 04, 2017 at 5:53 pm

      5 stars
      I keep walking past the King crab legs at Costco and drooling! This looks like the perfect way to serve them. I'm in love with the sound of that avocado dressing! I don't own a crab cracker, so I am really grateful for the tutorial on how to open them up. I'm going to need to pick these up at my next Costco trip and make this salad...and I go to Costco pretty much constantly, so that will be very soon! 😉

      Reply
      • champagne-tastes says

        September 04, 2017 at 5:54 pm

        I don't own a crab cracker either!! I'm all about the knife and scissors on this one 😉
        And Yay! Enjoy!!!

        Reply
    9. Alisha says

      December 28, 2017 at 7:47 pm

      5 stars
      I got to eat the finished product from this recipe, and it was perfection! 😉 Highly recommend!

      Reply
      • champagne-tastes says

        January 01, 2018 at 9:30 am

        Yay!! Glad you liked!!

        Reply
    10. CAT Risberg says

      May 27, 2018 at 6:26 pm

      5 stars
      I also pinned it to my board! I will be making this when I find real crab that I can use for this! Thanks for inspiring me!

      Reply
      • champagne-tastes says

        May 28, 2018 at 9:55 pm

        I'm so glad you loved it Cat! Thanks for letting me know! 😀

        Reply
    bio

    Hi, I'm Sarah! I'm a traveler who loves to eat.   Follow along to join me on my next adventure-- in food or on the road.

    Learn More →

    Currently Trending

    • langostino lobster rolls on a serving tray.
      Langostino Lobster Rolls
    • pan-seared rockfish on a plate
      Pan-Seared Rockfish
    • pan-seared red snapper on plates
      Pan-Seared Red Snapper
    • crab butter sauce on a platter with crab legs
      Crab Butter Sauce

    Footer

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Supplemental Privacy Notice For California Residents
    • Supplemental Privacy Notice For Nevada Residents

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Recipe and Photo Reuse Terms + FAQ

    Copyright ©2015-2025 Champagne Tastes
    All Rights Reserved.

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.