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This kani salad is fresh, crunchy, and delicious. Flaky crab sticks and crunchy cucumber are tossed in a slightly spicy, creamy dressing. In just two easy steps, you’ll have a restaurant-quality kani salad you can make at home!
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- It takes just 10 minutes to make! Simply add all ingredients to a bowl, toss together, then enjoy. Save time and money by making this quick restaurant dish at home.
- It strikes the perfect balance between creamy and crunchy. Fresh cucumber and crispy breadcrumbs compliment a mayonnaise-based dressing – yum!
- It’s very versatile and can be easily adjusted to your preferences! For instance, add more or less sriracha depending on how much spice you like. Remove or increase the amount of cucumber depending on how much crunch you like. Don’t be afraid to have fun with this kani salad and make this recipe your own.
Key Ingredients
Kani – Also known as surimi or imitation crab meat, kani can be found in the seafood section at most grocery stores. Kani is made from a combination of starch and white fish and is then shaped to resemble crab meat. To prepare kani for this recipe, peel strands down each kani stick until completely shredded. You’ll find that tearing off strands will be super quick and easy!
Cucumber – You have the option to either remove the skin from your cucumber or leave it on for this kani salad recipe. To prepare cucumber for this dish, you’ll want to cut it into thin matchstick-like pieces. If you have a julienne peeler, then definitely use it! If not, then simply use a sharp knife to slice the cucumber into thin strands.
Panko Breadcrumbs – Panko breadcrumbs give this kani salad its signature crunch! I love sprinkling a small handful of extra Panko breadcrumbs to my finished dish for even more incredible texture.
Chef’s Tips
- You can prep this kani salad ahead of time by making the dressing, then shredding the kani, and julienning the cucumber. When you’re ready to eat, simply toss everything together in a bowl and enjoy!
- Store this dish in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. I even find that after one day in the fridge, the flavors marinate and this salad become more flavorful and delicious!
- Easily double or even triple this recipe if you’d like. This is the perfect unexpected side dish for a party or potluck! If you plan on sharing this kani salad, then I recommend remaining conservative with the sriracha. Allow guests to control the spice in this dish by drizzling with more sriracha if they’d like.
Other Delicious Salad Recipes
Kani Salad
Equipment
- Large bowl
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon mirin see Notes
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sriracha see Notes
For the salad:
- 12 ounces kani shredded
- ½ cup cucumber julienned
- 2 tablespoons Panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Add all dressing ingredients to a bowl then stir to combine.
- Add in the shredded kani, julienned cucumber, and Panko breadcrumbs then toss to combine.
- Mirin: If you don’t have mirin, then you can use rice vinegar instead.
- Sriracha: Feel free to add as much or as little sriracha as you’d like in this recipe.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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I added red pepper flakes too it was smacing
That sounds delicious!
This recipe was not only super easy to make, but genuinely came out really good! I used the Kewpie Asian mayo & had to use rice vinegar since I did not have mirin and it came out perfect. Since starting chemo I’ve been super into cooking since I can’t eat out at my fav spots, so finding something I loved and being able to make it was great! Thanks!
We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Raisa! Thanks for sharing your experience. 🙂
Add a little lime juice too
Yum! Thanks for sharing!