Quick Kani Salad Recipe: Tips for Making Japanese Crab Salad

Kani salad is a side dish consisting of shredded crab and fresh, crunchy vegetables—and occasionally, fruits—like cucumber, carrots, or sweet corn tied together with Japanese-style mayonnaise. “Kani” is the Japanese word for “crab,” one of the central ingredients in the refreshing salad.

“Kanikama” refers to imitation crab meat, or surimi, a style of fish cake made from white fish. You can make kani salad with real crab meat or imitation crab sticks. Some kani salads that Japanese restaurants serve feature shredded lettuce or cabbage and even toasted panko breadcrumbs.

Like sunomono (cucumber salad) or kinpira gobo (carrots and burdock root), kani salad is one of the easiest recipes to integrate into your home cooking. Use what you like in the recipe, and focus on the balance of the dressing. Here are some other tips to consider:

1. 1. Use Japanese mayonnaise: Instead of whisking whole eggs with oil and vinegar, Japanese-style mayonnaise only uses egg yolks, resulting in extra-rich mayonnaise. (Dijon, rice vinegar, monosodium glutamate (MSG), and a neutral oil round out the recipe.) You can find Japanese mayo in Asian grocery stores or online. Learn how to make Japanese mayonnaise at home.
2. 2. Make it spicy: To build a spicy kani salad recipe, incorporate heat into either the dressing or the salad, with a small green chili cut into very thin strips. To make a spicy mayonnaise dressing, add a teaspoon or two of your favorite spicy condiments, like sriracha hot sauce or yuzu kosho (a citrusy, fermented green chili paste), to the mayonnaise, and whisk to incorporate.
3. 3. Choosing the crab: If you prefer real crab meat, purchase fresh lump meat from the fish counter or canned crab meat. You can find imitation crab meat in the refrigerator cases near the fish counter or the frozen section.

Most sushi restaurants serve kani salad as an appetizer or side dish, like miso soup or steamed edamame. Serve kani salad chilled, and dress the crab and vegetables right before setting it out on the dining table.