Crab is a great ingredient for salad. You can add it to green salad or pasta salad to really make it into something special. Crab goes especially well with pasta. The pasta takes on some of the flavor of the crab, bringing the flavors all together. The trick with crab pasta salad is to let it sit for awhile in the refrigerator so all the flavors can permeate the pasta, giving each bite a fabulous taste. You can make the salad earlier in the day, or if you need it for a lunch, you could even make it the night before. Chilling puts this recipe at its best when you are ready to serve, so keep it cold!

You can serve it in a nice serving bowl or turn it out on a big platter on a bed of greens. This is a good dish for a barbecue, picnic, or potluck. It is filling and has great flavor. Making a salad like this is a great idea when you need to make the crab stretch. By mixing it in a salad, the cost of the crab meat is diluted because you can serve more people easily than if you were giving them straight crab. Seafood of all kinds is expensive, but crabs are probably second only to lobsters when it comes to price. Even so, use the best crab you can afford. Second rate seafood will give you a second rate salad. If you can only afford half a pound of good crab, get that and make it stretch by adding more ingredients. Better to have less crab and get a good flavor from it than a lot of crab that tastes fishy.

Stretching your seafood dollar is important, especially if you are feeding a crowd. You will find this delicious recipe does a great job giving everyone a good sized portion. Try different ingredients in the recipe if you wish; for example, if you want the crunch of bell peppers but do not care for their flavor, try adding chopped celery instead. If you cannot get real crab, try flaking some imitation crab and adding it to the recipe. It is very versatile, so use what you have on hand.

Recipe for Creamy Crab Pasta Salad

What You Need

• 1 (12 ounce) package pasta shells, uncooked
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon honey mustard
• 1 Tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pound crab meat, cooked
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped

How to Make It

Prepare the pasta shells as directed on the package. Drain and let it cool.

Blend the sour cream, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice and dill together in a bowl. Season with the salt and pepper.

In a big bowl, toss the pasta, sour cream mixture, crab meat, bell peppers, and onions. Cover and let the salad chill until you are ready to serve.