Spicy Kani Salad is a Japanese crab salad made with imitation crab meat and cucumber in a spicy mayonnaise dressing. Kani is the Japanese word for crab so it translates to spicy crab salad. It can be found in many American Japanese restaurants and sushi restaurants and I have had it a few times and wanted to try it for myself. You can sometimes buy store kani salad in deli sections that has pre-made salads.
This spicy kani salad recipe is so easy to make that you wouldn't want to buy it out when you can make it fresh at home. This is a very easy kani salad recipe and doesn't take a lot of prep time and there is no cook time.
Kani Salad Ingredients
Imitation Crab- The main ingredient is imitation crab which actually has no crab at all. It is white fish that is pressed into stick or flake style form to mimic the texture of real crab meat. If using the imitation crab sticks or kani sticks, they will easily shred into long strips to look similar to the thin strips of the vegetables.
Vegetables- The most common vegetables in a kani salad is cucumber and carrots. Crunchy vegetables are used to give textures to the salad. Using a julienne peeler will help achieve the thin strands like the kani.
Kewpie Mayonnaise- Japanese mayonnaise uses egg yolks only over regular mayonnaise that uses whole eggs. If you can not find it in your local grocery stores in the international section, any asian market will have it. If you have no asian markets close by, ordering it online here as an option.
Let's Make Delicious Kani Salad
To make the kani salad dressing, whisk together kewpie mayo, sriracha sauce, rice vinegar, and a pinch of sugar.
In a large bowl add imitation crab, crunchy cucumber, and the creamy dressing. Mix well to evenly distribute the dressing over everything.
Serve with panko bread crumbs and green onions sprinkled on top.
Yes! If it is really hard to find, regular mayo will work. You can also use a light mayo if you want to lower the calorie count.
You can also add ripe mango, shredded carrots, kelp noodles, black sesame seeds, and/or white sesame seeds. Adding things like soy sauce or sesame oil will bring a different flavor to the dressing.
It is actually low in calorie at 158 calories per serving. To make it even lower in fat you could use light mayonnaise instead of kewpie or regular mayonnaise. It can also fit into a low carb keto diet by omitting the panko breadcrumbs and pinch of sugar.
Store in an airtight container for for up to 3 days. Do not add panko until ready to serve to preserve the crunchy texture.
Other Seafood Recipes You May Enjoy
Spicy Kani Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 oz imitation crab julienne
- 2 mini cucumbers julienne
- 1/4 cup kewpie mayo
- 2 tsp sriracha
- 1 tsp white rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Add kewpie mayo, sriracha, and white wine vinegar to a small mixing bowl and whisk to make kani salad dressing.
- In a large bowl add imitation crab, cucumber, and kani dressing and mix until well combined
- Top each serving with bread crumb and enjoy.
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