Ultra-nutritious, this Crab Avocado Asparagus salad is beautiful for a light Summer meal. Dressed with a lively vinaigrette you’ve got a delicious and fresh seafood salad recipe.
This week, my local market had Crab legs for $9.99/lb. Prompting this easy as can be, crab salad recipe with avocado and asparagus.
Look at all of these beautiful, fresh and healthy ingredients. I’m trying to eat as healthy as I can before the month-long food gorge begins in a couple of weeks. And believe you me, I plan to whole heartedly participate in the Holiday food festivities. 🙂
The Greens For This Crab Salad Recipe
I’ve been finding pea shoots at Whole Foods. They’re a beautiful garnish and addition for any salad.
They’re simply the leaves of the traditional garden pea plant that are harvested about 2 – 4 weeks into the growth cycle. Tender, young and bursting with pea flavor.
For presentation, I’ve placed the crab meat, asparagus and avocado on big luscious leaves of read leaf lettuce. And it’s not just for presentation, it because a fresh delicious part of the meal.
Healthy Crab Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Eating this salad makes you feel so good about yourself. And its a very easy salad to prepare:
- Asparagus is cooked until just tender.
- Raw pistachios and avocado and added for an even healthier salad.
- A delightful and fresh tasting lemon vinaigrette finishes the combination.
- Sprinkle on some sweet crab meat and you are in salad heaven.
Crab meat can be expensive at times. You can also make this salad with cooked shrimp, coarsely chopped. Either way, a healthy choice for a light dinner.
Recipe for Crab Avocado Asparagus Salad
I hope you give this crab salad recipe a try. And if you do, please come back and let me know how you liked it and give the recipe a star rating.
Your feedback is valuable to me for developing future recipes. And if you have a favorite seafood salad recipe, or a recipe using crab meat, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.
More Main Course Fresh Healthy Salad Recipes
- Blackened Shrimp Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette A refreshing entree that’s light but in a hearty way. Blackened shrimp on crisp artisan field greens, sprinkled with applewood smoked bacon, hard boiled eggs, heirloom petite tomatoes.
- Casa Grande Mexican Chicken Salad with Avocado Features a very special sweet spicy dressing and a great line-up of ingredients that will have you asking for seconds.
- Grilled Shrimp Salad with Citrus Mint Dressing Sweet grilled shrimp are tossed with avocado, petite tomatoes and red onion that have been marinated in a lively citrus mint dressing.
And if you’re in the salad mood, don’t miss my Salad Category. You’ll find lots of great ideas along with dressing and vinaigrette recipes. And don’t miss my post for 9 Secrets To A Remarkable Tossed Salad. Just say no to sad salads.
And if you’re looking for healthy recipes, take a look at my January Healthy Recipe Post. A great lineup for 31 days worth of clean eating.
Ultra-nutritious, this Crab Avocado Asparagus salad is beautiful for a light Summer meal.
- 1 pound asparagus thick asparagus
- 8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 6 medium basil leaves
- 1 small shallot coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 3 1/2 ounce pea shoots trimmed
- 1/4 cup raw pistachios coarsely chopped
- 1 pound jumbo lump crab meat
- 2 Hass avocados each cut into wedges or coarsely chopped
- Cut tough ends off asparagus and throw away. Slice asparagus tops into 1 inch chunks. Heat a frypan over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and then add asparagus and shallot. Salt and pepper to taste. Lower heat to medium. Cook until just tender, about 5 minutes.
- In a blender, blend the remaining oil, lemon juice, basil and 1/4 cup of the parsley. Season the dressing with salt and pepper.
- In a large bowl, add the pea shoots, pistachios and the remaining 1/4 cup of parsley leaves to the asparagus. Toss with half of the dressing and season with salt and pepper. Divide among plates and Sprinkle with crab meat.
If you can’t find pea shoots, watercress is another option.
Vickie says
November 8, 2009 at 9:12 pmThis looks soooo good! I love every single ingredient, so I can almost taste it. You know, this makes me even grumpier about not having a Whole Foods up here. I am still planning to figure out how to sprout my own peas. Great post & great recipe!
leaannbrown says
November 8, 2009 at 10:05 pmI know, I almost cringe every time I mention the W.F. word about making you grumpy. I feel the same over no Trader Vics here in Colorado.
Thanks for stopping by
Chris says
November 8, 2009 at 9:35 pmCrab, avocado, and asparagus – can’t go wrong with that combination. Well you can’t REASONABLY go wrong with that combination. I mean sure, you could put in skunk road kill and that would ruin it, but otherwise….. 😉
leaannbrown says
November 8, 2009 at 10:07 pmLOL – yup, I’m thinkin some skunk would pretty much stink up that dish! As always, Thanks for stopping by Chris
Lele says
November 9, 2009 at 1:03 amWhat fabulous gourmet ingredients! I never would’ve thought to add the pistachios!
leaannbrown says
November 9, 2009 at 12:43 pmIt was delicious. I couldn’t find salted/roasted at Whole Foods, so added raw/unsalted. I do think the salted would have been better – but this was still delicious. Thanks for stopping by
DebinHawaii says
November 9, 2009 at 2:04 amYum! I love crab and the salad looks so refreshing and good. I am going to have to check and see if we have the one day sales here.
Cauleen says
November 9, 2009 at 3:36 amSounds divine! Love all the ingredients and can’t wait to try!
buffalo dick says
November 9, 2009 at 1:33 pmVery attractive, and sounds tasty to boot!
leaannbrown says
November 9, 2009 at 1:45 pmWell, it’s certainly not Dad’s Pizza, but a girl has to watch that pudgy girlish figure ya know! 🙂
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
November 9, 2009 at 2:23 pmThe salad looks so tempting…all the best ingredients in one salad.
Karen says
November 9, 2009 at 4:18 pmSounds like a great salad. I made asparagus with pasta last night with a lemon sauce, so I know this combination is yummy!
leaannbrown says
November 9, 2009 at 9:09 pmOk now, Pasta with asparagus and lemon sauce sounds wonderful. Hope you blog about it.
Thanks for stopping by Karen
girlichef says
November 9, 2009 at 12:56 pmAnything with both crab and avocado is delicious in my book…especially if you add some yummy bread. This looks really great!
anncoo says
November 9, 2009 at 1:01 pmI love all these greens and it is definitely a great combo with crab and avocado.
leaannbrown says
November 9, 2009 at 1:43 pmThanks for stopping by Anncoo
Natashya says
November 9, 2009 at 7:08 pmMmm, all my favourite stuff! Sounds great.
For next month – hope you have your stretchy pants! 😉
leaannbrown says
November 9, 2009 at 9:07 pmLOL – you bet, elastic waist bands will most certainly be required. Thanks for stopping by Natashya
Chilebrown says
November 10, 2009 at 4:11 amCrab season started last week for the public. Commerical Crab seasion starts next weekend. Hopefully in two weeks we will get live crabs for under three bucks a pound. Now, if only it was Asparagus season that recipe would be to die for. It still sounds so very good. I will make it even though it may be healthy for you.
leaannbrown says
November 11, 2009 at 1:13 pmThanks for stopping by chilebrown. It sounds like you live a lot closer to the ocean that I do! 🙂
donna says
November 10, 2009 at 4:01 amLove the combination of all these goodies, and the addition of the pistachios, brilliant. Looks soooo attractive too.
leaannbrown says
November 10, 2009 at 6:30 pmAs always, thanks for stopping by Donna
Karen says
November 10, 2009 at 4:26 pmI’m totally down with the whole eating healthy before the holidays thing, really I am. But browse any magazine, blog or newspaper article and you are bombarded with gloriously decadent holiday foods and desserts (in full color and larger than life, I might add). How’s a girl to do it?? Maybe I need to pull out my eat-healthy-and-light-for-summer magazine issues and put on some blinders in line at the grocery store 😀
Or, I could just go ahead and make this recipe, since Dillon’s also has crab on sale this week. King crab legs for 8.99/lb thankyouverymuch! 😀
leaannbrown says
November 10, 2009 at 6:18 pmYou’ve only got that $8.99 price tag because you’re closer to the ocean…….oh no, wait, that’s the Arkansas River. Which by the way I hope you’re pronouncing correctly – arKANsas
Katherine says
November 10, 2009 at 5:20 pmThis sammy has everything I like on it. Wonderful sandwich, filling but no heavy.
leaannbrown says
November 10, 2009 at 6:16 pmThanks so much for stopping by Katherine!
Joanne says
November 10, 2009 at 11:39 amAlas, my Whole Foods doesn’t seem to be doing this one day sale thing. Too bad, seems like a good deal! This salad sounds great and has some of my favorite ingredients. If you’re going to lighten up the meals before the holidays, at least you can make them still taste good.
leaannbrown says
November 10, 2009 at 6:22 pmDoggone it – can’t you tell them that since Colorado is doing it, everyone should?????
Thanks for stopping by Joanne
Linda says
November 11, 2009 at 1:00 amLooks fantastic! …and it has everything I like…. I’m looking forward to trying it!
Chef E says
November 19, 2009 at 9:21 pmI have some blog catching up on here, and this looks great. I am with girlichef, the combo is right up my alley…
leaannbrown says
November 19, 2009 at 9:32 pmThanks for stopping by Elizabeth. I know what you mean. I follow a lot of blogs and sometimes get WAY behind.