5 Minute Kani Salad Restaurant Style

Craving more Japanese appetizers? Try my harumaki, beef negimaki, yakitori, and Japanese potato salad next. My favorite sushi restaurant side dish is the famous Japanese crab salad. Also known as a surimi salad, it’s made up of crab meat and julienne vegetables tossed through a sweet and creamy dressing. My kani salad recipe is one of my family’s most requested sides ever.

Why I love this recipe

It’s so easy! No complicated techniques or ingredients, making it perfect for busy weeknights or last-minute gatherings. Perfect texture and flavor. This salad’s texture is creamy, with some crunch from the vegetables. It’s savory and subtly sweet, and despite its name, it has no fishy taste! Easy to customize. This salad can be customized with your preferred vegetables or dressing to suit your taste preferences or dietary needs. You can even add some heat for a spicy salad.

Ingredients needed

Surimi (Imitation crab meat). Crab meat is a mix of white fish (typically pollock) and flour to create a delicious crab-like texture and flavor. You can use real crab meat or another seafood if you prefer. Cucumber and carrot. Must-have vegetables. I prefer Persian cucumbers as they have less water in them, which is perfect for shredding. Whole egg mayonnaise. For a more authentic flavor, you can use Japanese mayonnaise (Kewpie mayo) which is a little sweeter than regular mayo. Sugar. To balance out the spice and the tang. White sugar, brown sugar, or coconut sugar works. Rice vinegar. Optional, but a touch of this gives it that authentic flavor. Lemon juice. Just a touch to balance out the creamy and rich ingredients.

How to make a kani salad

I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post. “I recently fixed this and will be making it MANY more times. That sauce is the bomb! I added edamame, green onions, and shrimp (plus fresh crab) to the salad and made it a full meal. Thanks for sharing. PS…. made it for friends who also loved it.” – Maryanne Step 1- Make the salad base: Shred the crab meat and julienne the vegetables. Mix them together in a bowl. Step 2- Make the dressing: Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a separate bowl. Step 3- Combine: Stir through the dressing into the salad, followed by half the green onion and sesame seeds. Sprinkle with panko breadcrumbs on top.

Arman’s recipe tips

Chill the salad. Chill the salad in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving. This will help the flavors to blend. Cut vegetables into thin strips so that they blend well with the crab meat. Mix very gently. Unlike other salads, this particular one is quite fragile, so mix the ingredients together very slowly and patiently to ensure all the elements remain intact. Shred the crab meat by hand. I know it sounds messy, but it’s honestly so much easier than using a knife.

Storage instructions

To store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days. Try to keep the dressing separate from the salad so that it remains crunchy and fresh.

Use real crab meat instead of imitation crab sticks. It will make a significant difference in the taste of the salad. Garnish with sesame seeds and fish roe. Toasted sesame seeds add a nutty flavor, and fish roe (tobiko) gives it that satisfying richness. Make it vegetarian by omitting the crab meat for more vegetables. Mango kani salad. Add sliced mango for a sweet element. Spicy kani salad. Add a little bit of sriracha or hot sauce, or swap out the mayo for spicy mayo for some kick. Make it more substantial by adding noodles or shredded eggs to the salad.