You can serve a Crab Louis salad as an appetizer or as an entree, depending on your appetite. The following recipe makes enough to serve four people as an entree. It takes a bit of effort to make but the results are worth it. This salad, which is also known as The King of Salads or a Crab Louie salad, dates back to the early twentieth century and it started out on the west coast of the United States.

The exact origin of this recipe is not known but it was being served in 1904 in Solari’s, a San Francisco restaurant. There is a recipe for it in a 1910 cookbook. Some people believe that the founder of the Davenport Hotel in Spokane, Washington, Louis Davenport, created the dish. He lived in San Francisco for a long time before relocating to Spokane Falls and he would import the finest seafood from Seattle to offer to guests in his hotel.

The popularity of this dish might not be the same now as it was in the early days of the 1900s but you can still find it on some west coast hotel and restaurant menus including the Davenport Hotel and the Palace Hotel in San Francisco and, of course, you can make it yourself at home.

Crab Louis Salad Ingredients

Dungeness crab is best for making this recipe, since that was the one, which featured in the original dish, but you can use any kind. The dressing is delicious when freshly made, although you could substitute Thousand Island dressing if you are in a rush. If you are making this for a dinner party, you should make your own because the difference will be noticeable.

In addition to the seafood, this salad typically consists of hard-boiled eggs, asparagus, cucumber, tomato and romaine lettuce, but green onions, capers or olives appear in some versions of this recipe. As with many salad recipes, you can adapt this one, leaving out any ingredients you do not like or cannot get.

What You Will Need:

• 2 hard-boiled eggs, in wedges
• 1 romaine lettuce
• 12 very fine slices cucumber
• 4 chopped cooked spears asparagus
• 2 tomatoes, in wedges
• 1 lemon, in wedges
• 1 lb fresh crab meat or 3 cans
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

For The Dressing:

• 1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
• 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup whipped cream
• Few drops Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 tablespoons chili sauce

How To Make It:

Reserve four lettuce leaves and tear the remaining ones into small pieces. Put one whole lettuce leaf on each of four medium sized plates. Top them with the torn lettuce. Keep four big pieces of crab meat and flake the remaining crab. Arrange the flaked crab on the lettuce with the asparagus, cucumber, eggs, and tomatoes.

Combine the dressing ingredients and drizzle the dressing over the top. Garnish the salads with the reserved seafood and the lemon wedges. Sprinkle paprika over the top and serve immediately.