This creamy seafood salad recipe features a blend of imitation crab meat, tender shrimp, and fresh vegetables mixed with a delicious creamy dressing. It’s a classic summer salad!

A large bowl of creamy seafood salad is shown with a single saltine cracker dipped into the bowl. The creamy salad is topped with dried parsley flakes.

When I was a child, my mom used to buy seafood salad from the deli at our grocery store. I remember it being expensive and definitely not something we could get every day (I guess that’s why mom only bought it when we did our monthly grocery trip!). The seafood salad was always a treat that never lasted a day in our house. My mom would dish it out and serve it with crackers. It was so creamy and full of shrimp and chunks of imitation crab. One day, we bought some from our usual deli, and to our surprise, they changed the darn recipe! It was GROSS. The new recipe had vinegar that was too blunt, and it was full of course black pepper. We never understood why they would change such a great recipe and replace it with YUCK. Needless to say, we never bought any seafood salad from that store, or any store, again. It just wasn’t the same.

These days, I like to make my own creamy seafood salad, and it feels only right to share it with my Cousins! I make my creamy salad without any overpowering seasonings and lots of imitation crab and shrimp meat. I also like to add crisp celery for a little crunch and, of course, taste. This seafood salad recipe is as simple as ever, and it’s also budget-friendly. Want to learn how to make it?! Well, let’s get on into it, fam!

Ingredients for Creamy Seafood Salad

You only need a handful of simple ingredients to toss this salad together. One quick trip to the grocery store, and you’ve got a tasty side dish or cold appetizer salad ready to go! Make it ahead of time and serve it the next day, or whip it together fast for a last-minute party. Either way, it’s way too simple, y’all! Be sure to check out the recipe card at the end of this post for all the ingredient measurements and directions.

Imitation Crab: I use imitation crab flakes, but if you have lump crab meat on hand, use that! The small pieces mix together for the perfect bite.
Cooked Shrimp: using pre-cooked shrimp is a time saver! I don’t care whether you use chopped-up large shrimp or small baby shrimp—it’s up to you!
Black Olives, Celery, & Green Onions: this veggie combo is my trifecta for seafood salad. Olives add a little tang, celery adds a nice crunch, and green onions add loads of flavor.
Mayonnaise, Yellow Mustard, & Sour Cream: these three ingredients make up the base of our creamy dressing. It’s tangy, a little sweet, and oh-so delicious!
Cajun Seasoning & Garlic Powder: I keep my seafood salad seasonings pretty simple. Just a touch of heat and garlic is all you need for all the flavor.

What is imitation crab meat?

Imitation crab is a cheaper alternative to real crab meat, but it tastes just as delicious! It’s a blend of ingredients, mainly a mild white fish mixture called Surimi. This is in loads of seafood you probably don’t even realize! It’s a paste made from mild white fish, like Alaskan pollock, Haddock, and Atlantic cod, blended with other ingredients for flavor. Because it’s made with such common fish, it’s super affordable and can be found at basically every grocery store. You can also use it in many other recipes – like a Crab Louie salad, crab cakes, or seafood lasagna.

What’s the best seafood to use in creamy seafood salad?

I like to keep it simple with shrimp and crab, but you can use your favorite seafood. If you’re feeling real fancy, use real crab meat! You could use flaked tuna, tilapia, cod, cooked bay scallops, or lobster meat. You can really use any combination of seafood you like, as long as you use about 1-1.5 pounds total for the salad.

A close-up image of a large glass bowl filled with seafood salad. The simple salad is made with imitation crab, shrimp, and fresh veggies mixed in a creamy mayo-based dressing and garnished with parsley flakes.

How to Make Creamy Shrimp and Crab Salad

This creamy seafood salad with shrimp and crab could not be any easier to make! If you use pre-cooked shrimp, there’s no cooking involved at all. You can have a tasty, creamy, cold seafood salad ready in a flash!

Chop everything up. Cut up the imitation crab into small, bite-sized pieces. Dice the green onions, olives, and celery into small pieces as well. If you’re using large shrimp, chop it up. We want everything to be about the same size so it blends together well.
Toss all the crab, shrimp, and veggies into a large mixing bowl.
Add mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, and seasonings to the bowl, then mix until everything is well combined.
Transfer the seafood salad to a serving bowl and chill until it’s time to serve!

That’s it! The hardest part is all the chopping. It’s a quick and delicious salad on a hot summer day, as a side dish, or an easy lunch. It was a family favorite when I was a kid, and even now, my family loves it. You really can’t go wrong! Want a visual? Check out my easy-to-follow 3-minute video tutorial below! Don’t forget to subscribe to I Heart Recipes on YouTube for more tasty and easy recipes.

Recipe Tips and Tricks for the Best Seafood Salad

When it comes to cold salads like this one, there are plenty of different ways to make a delicious salad. Almost every family will have their own variations. Here are some ways to make this creamy shrimp and crab salad even more delicious!

Fresh Herbs: add herbs like fresh dill, parsley, or fresh chives for flavor and color.
Seasonings: you can add so much flavor by using the simplest seasonings. Seasoning salt, black pepper, your favorite Cajun seasoning, classic Old Bay Seasoning or Tony Chachere’s, or celery salt are all complementary seasonings for seafood.
Use Greek yogurt in the creamy dressing instead of sour cream – the flavor is similar but a bit lighter.
Use a squirt of fresh lemon juice to brighten up the salad. Mix it into the dressing or squeeze a drizzle on when serving.
If you like a little heat in your seafood salad, add red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, or a drizzle of hot sauce.
Swap out regular yellow mustard for Dijon mustard for a deeper flavor in the dressing.
Add cooked elbow macaroni, cavatappi, or small shells to make it a seafood pasta salad.

What other vegetables can I add to seafood salad?

If you love a veggie-packed salad, add more diced fresh vegetables for flavor and color. Try red onion, red bell pepper (or another sweet pepper like yellow or green pepper), shallots, peas, carrots, or sweet relish. You could even add crumbled hard-boiled eggs for more protein.

How to Serve Creamy Seafood Salad

My mom always served seafood salad with saltine crackers, and we inhaled it! I like serving this salad at parties with vegetable sticks, cheese, and crackers – it’s easy to scoop onto a plate and enjoy while socializing. Here are some other ways to enjoy seafood salad:

On toasted crostini for a bite-sized appetizer.
In lettuce wraps for a quick, healthy lunch.
On your favorite fluffy white sandwich bread, just like you would with homemade chicken salad.
On a buttery toasted croissant or hoagie roll with lettuce, tomatoes, and sliced onions.

A small spoonful of creamy seafood salad on a saltine cracker. Crispy crackers or veggies are the best pairing for a creamy crab and shrimp salad!

How to Store Homemade Shrimp and Crab Salad

Because of the seafood and creamy dressing, it’s best to store seafood salad in the fridge until it’s ready to serve. Chill it for at least 1-2 hours before serving so it’s nice and cold, and don’t leave it out at room temperature for more than a few hours. Leftovers should be kept in an airtight container in the fridge and will be good for up to 3 days. You can even make it a day or so ahead so all the flavors have time to marry together! I do not recommend freezing seafood salad—the mayonnaise and sour cream will separate and can’t really be saved after thawing. It’s best to enjoy this creamy crab salad recipe when it’s as fresh as possible.

More Tasty Summer Salads to Try

This creamy seafood salad is a great recipe to have on hand for those hot summer months when you crave something cold, creamy, and satisfying! If you want more simple salad recipes, here are some to try next!

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