The Best Vegan Crab Louie Salad

This vegan crab Louie salad recipe is a veganized version of a famous crab salad from the West Coast! Made from hearts of palm and chickpeas, this salad is hearty and delicious and bathed in vegan Thousand Island dressing. Try not to lick the plate.

As you know, I love salad! And whenever I see a fabulous salad that I would love to eat, but it isn't vegan, I veganize it! I saw this crab Louie salad on a San Francisco, California menu. Even before transitioning to eating plant-based, I was allergic to shellfish, so this salad doesn't taste like fish. It just tastes like heaven!

Jump to:

• What is Crab Louie Salad?
• What is Crab Louie Made of?
• Vegan Crab Louie Salad Ingredients
• Vegan Crab Louie Ingredient Substitutions
• Salad Ingredients
• Salad Ingredient Substitutions
• Crab Louie Dressing Ingredients
• Crab Louie Dressing Ingredient Substitutions
• How to Make Crab Louie
• Preparing the Salad
• Other Serving Suggestions
• Recipe FAQs
• Tips
• Vegan Recipes to Fall In Love With
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

What is Crab Louie Salad?

The infamous Original Crab Louie salad, also known as Crab Louis salad or the King of Salads, is a type of salad featuring crab meat. The recipe dates back to the early 1900s and originates on the West Coast of the United States.

Victor Hirtzler, head chef of the city's St. Francis, is credited with developing the original recipe; however, the mystery of who the salad is named after remains a secret. Later, the recipe appeared in The Neighborhood Cookbook, compiled by the Portland Council of Jewish Women in 1912.

What is Crab Louie Made of?

A traditional Crab Louie salad starts with a bed of lettuce of iceberg lettuce, Dungeness crab, asparagus, hard boiled eggs, cucumber, tomatoes, and a creamy, pink dressing that is similar to Thousand Island. In some versions of the recipe, the salad includes olives; avocado slices are also not an uncommon addition.

And, like most recipes, rules are made to be broken, so I veganized Crab Louie, when challenged by a friend who loves crab meat but is deathly allergic.

Vegan Crab Louie Salad Ingredients

• Hearts of Palm: Hearts of palm have a very mild flavor, similar to white asparagus or artichoke hearts. I buy sustainable hearts of palm in water.
• Chickpeas: The smashed chickpeas add texture to the "crab meat."
• Green Onions: Green onions are mild tasting and add texture, crunch, and flavor to the mixture.
• Celery: Celery is finely diced and added for crunch and fresh flavor.
• Nori Seaweed: The seaweed adds an umami flavor. as well as additional texture.
• Old Bay Seasoning: Old Bay Seasoning combines celery salt, red pepper, black pepper, and paprika. Old Bay seasoning is used to season seafood, including crab cakes, shrimp dishes, and more. But I love it on tofu and vegetable-based dishes like these Maryland Boardwalk Fries or Old Bay Butternut Squash.
• Vegan Thousand Island Dressing: Vegan Thousand Island Dressing is mixed with vegan crab meat and then added to the salad as well.

Vegan Crab Louie Ingredient Substitutions

• White asparagus or artichokes are similar to the texture and taste of hearts of palm.
• Instead of chickpeas, try white beans, which are similar in size and texture.
• Spring onions are a great substitution of green onions. For a stronger onion presence, choose red onions.
• Fennel is often used to replace celery; however, fennel has a light licorice flavor.
• Kelp, or dulse works well as a substitute for Nori seaweed.
• Any creole seasoning substitutes Old Bay Seasoning.

Salad Ingredients

• Romaine Lettuce: Romaine lettuce is one of several leafy greens that supply essential nitrate for heart health. Every serving also delivers a powerful combination of beta-carotene and vitamin C to prevent cholesterol buildup. Add romaine's folic acid and potassium, and you have a recipe for healthy hearts and lower blood pressure.
• Red Bell Pepper: Red bell peppers are vibrant in color, sweet, and crunchy.
• Cucumber: I like English cucumbers because they don't have as many seeds as regular ones, keeping the salad from being soggy.
• Red Onion: Red onion is sweet and tangy and compliments the other ingredients in the salad.
• Asparagus: Asparagus is the only cooked ingredient in the salad. I roasted the asparagus, but you can blanch, steam, or saute. However, I suggest allowing it to cool completely before adding it to the salad.
• Tomatoes: I chose Campari tomatoes and cut them into quarters.
• Kalamata Olives: Kalamata olives are salty and distinct in flavor.
• Avocado: Avocado adds a creamy and delicious addition to the salad.
• Lemon Wedges: The lemon wedges are served as a garnish for the salad.

Salad Ingredient Substitutions

• Choose any type of greens such as kale, collard greens, or spinach.
• I like baby bell peppers, which are similar in flavor to red bell peppers but contain a variety of colors.
• Persian cucumbers are similar to English cucumbers.
• White or yellow onion works well as a substitute for red onion.
• Substitute blanched green beans for asparagus.
• Grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes are an excellent option.
• Black olives are similar in texture but more bland in flavor compared to kalamata olives.
• If you don't like avocado, skip it.

Crab Louie Dressing Ingredients

For this vegan crab Louie recipe, I chose vegan Thousand Island Dressing, which is similar to the traditional crab Louie dressing but vegan.

• Raw Cashews: Raw cashews provide the creaminess to the Thousand Island Dressing. However, if you have a nut allergy or avoid eating nuts, see the substitutions below.
• Organic Ketchup: Besides absorbing less pesticides, a study from the University of Barcelona found that organic tomatoes actually contain higher levels of phenolic compounds, which have been associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular and degenerative diseases, and even some forms of cancer
• Apple Cider Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar provides acidity to the dressing.
• Agave: Agave is a desert plant harvested to make tequila and sweet syrup. It was traditionally believed to have healing properties.
• Salt: Salt enhances the flavors in the dressing.
• Pepper: Pepper adds depth of flavor.
• Water: Water acts as an emulsifier in the absence of oil.
• Pickles (Sweet or Dill): Choose sweet or dill pickles depending on personal preference.

Crab Louie Dressing Ingredient Substitutions

• Instead of cashews, try almonds, macadamia nuts, sunflower seeds or hemp seeds.
• For a nut-free option, swap the cashews for white beans, silken tofu, or vegan plan unsweetened yogurt.
• If you don't have ketchup, use tomato paste instead. In recipes requiring ketchup, tomato paste can be substituted using a 1:1 ratio, which means one tablespoon of tomato paste for every tablespoon of ketchup. Remember that ketchup tends to be a bit sweeter than tomato paste, as it has added sugar, which can affect the taste of your finished dish.
• Instead of apple cider vinegar use white vinegar.
• Maple syrup of date syrup mimics the flavor of agave in recipes.
• Skip the pickles if you don't like them.

How to Make Crab Louie

1. Rinse and drain the chickpeas and hearts of palm.
2. Using a towel or paper towel, pat the hearts of palm dry, removing any additional brine.
3. In a food processor, smash the chickpeas, smashing them slightly, leaving some half and whole pieces.
4. Transfer the smashed chickpeas into a large bowl.
5. Now, add the hearts of palm to the food processor and pulse, breaking the hearts of palm into small flaky pieces. Again, do not over-process.
6. Transfer the hearts of palm to the bowl with the smashed chickpeas.
7. Add the diced celery, green onions, ground seaweed, Old Bay seasoning, and 1 cup of the dressing.
8. Stir the mixture together.
9. Cover and refrigerate while preparing the other salad ingredients.

Preparing the Salad

1. Cut the vegetables, avocado, lemons, and olives.
2. Preheat an oven to 425 degrees, and prepare a small baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
3. Place cut asparagus pieces in a single layer to the baking sheet.
4. Bake for 10 minutes; remove and cool before adding to the salad ingredients.
5. Chop the lettuce and put it on individual plates.
6. In the center of each plate, use your hands to create a well in the middle to place a scoop of crab mixture.
7. Remove the crab mixture from the refrigerator.
8. Use a one-cup measuring cup (a round one) and form a 1-cup scoop of vegan crab meat.
9. Place the cup of vegan crab meat in the well in the center of each plate.
10. Divide up the rest of the salad ingredients on top of the lettuce portion of the salad, surrounding the crab mixture, scattering different ingredients around the crab mixture.
11. Garnish each plate with a lemon wedge.
12. Serve the remaining dressing on the side or drizzle over the greens and vegetables surrounding the vegan crab Louie salad mixture.

Other Serving Suggestions

• Serve this vegan crab Louie salad recipe inside lettuce wraps and add salad toppings to each cup.
• Place the vegan crab mixture in a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes; serve as a crab dip with pita bread, lavash crackers, and vegetables.
• Or, serve as a cold dip with vegetables, bread and crackers.
• Try this vegan crab mixture on a sandwich as a spread.
• Stuff cocktail tomatoes as a crab Louie appetizer.
• This vegan crab mixture is also excellent in a large hollowed-out tomato, a green or red pepper, or inside baby bell peppers.
• For another crab Louie appetizer, consider stuffing baby bell peppers and cooking the peppers in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve with vegan Thousand Island Dressing as a dip.
• I also LOVE this crab mixture on a sandwich loaded with greens, thick slices of tomato, shredded carrots, and pickled red onions.
• Toast small pieces of sourdough bread, and make vegan crab Louie bruschetta!

Recipe FAQs

Tips

• Do not over-pulse the chickpeas or the hearts of palm. Both should be chunky and flaky, not mushy.
• Chill the vegan crab mixture in the refrigerator and store the dressing in the refrigerator until chilled through.
• The crab mixture can be made up to a few days before.
• The dressing stays fresh for 5 days refrigerated. I suggest freezing in Super Cubes.
• I think you should check out the other ways to use this fabulous vegan crab mixture supplied in the blog post.

Enjoy this vegan version of a traditional crab Louie salad recipe served with a delicious vegan Thousand Island dressing. You will love this vegan crab Louie salad recipe.

Vegan Recipes to Fall In Love With

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