Crab doesn't come out much in the kitchen, but when it does, often the idea is to do as little to it as possible. Otherwise, why spend the extra money on such a delicate ingredient? With the exception of a few salty Marylanders, nobody knows crabs better than the cooks of Southeast Asia, so we follow their light-handed lead here in this recipe. We use cucumber and onion for a nice crunch, chiles for a hint of heat, and a bit of fish or soy sauce for a slick of savory salt. Adding an avocado half makes the perfect vessel for this salad, its rich, creamy texture boosting the sweetness of the crab. Who said you needed to go out to dinner to have a delicate and fanciful meal? This avocado-crab salad does the trick.

Nutrition: 355 calories, 25 g fat (4 g saturated), 550 mg sodium

Serves 4

You'll Need

1 can (8 oz) crabmeat, preferably jumbo lump, drained
1⁄2 cup diced, seeded, and peeled cucumber
1⁄4 cup minced red onion
1⁄4 cup chopped cilantro
1 jalapeño pepper (preferably red), minced
1 Tbsp fish sauce (in a pinch, soy sauce will do)
1 Tbsp sugar
Juice of 1 lime
Salt
4 small Hass avocados, halved and pitted
1 lime, quartered

How to Make It

Combine the crab, cucumber, onion, cilantro, jalapeño, fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice in a mixing bowl.
Stir gently to combine, being careful not to break up the bigger lumps of crab.
Lightly salt the flesh of the avocados, then divide the crab mixture among the 8 halves, spooning it directly into the bowls created by removing the pits.
Serve with the lime quarters.

Eat This Tip

Save Money Strategy

Don't feel like springing for expensive crab meat? Luckily, there are at least half a dozen different ways to make this recipe, all of them delicious, and some of them incredibly cheap too. The most obvious swap is also the cheapest: a can of tuna, drained. Or try using cooked shrimp, or scallops, chopped into bite-size pieces. If it's meat you seek, a pile of leftover chicken, diced, is the best way to go. And for vegetarians, a few hard-boiled eggs can stand in as the protein foundation.

This recipe (and hundreds more!) came from one of our Cook This, Not That! books. For more easy cooking ideas, you can also buy the book!

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