Here’s a Versatile, Spicy Crab Salad Where You Can Use the Imitation

“Here is a recipe that my husband Richard and I made up together,” Esther Flores writes. “We both like crab but can’t afford to go out and buy it all the time. So one afternoon we bought the imitation crab from our grocery store and started experimenting. With only one try, we came up with this delicious recipe. The dish can be eaten alone as a salad, or spread on a saltine cracker as an appetizer or stuffed into a fresh tomato.”

FLORES’ SPICY CRAB SALAD

1/2 pound imitation crab

2 small firm tomatoes, diced

3 to 5 jalapeno chiles, seeded and finely chopped

1 bunch cilantro, washed and chopped

1 bunch green onions, sliced very thinly

1 cucumber, seeded and cubed

1 large lemon

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

Shred crab into bite-size pieces into large bowl. Add tomatoes, chiles, cilantro, green onions and cucumber. Toss until well blended. Squeeze lemon juice on top. Chill 10 minutes. Fold in mayonnaise. Chill again until serving time. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

--ESTHER FLORES

San Gabriel

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