Crab Salad with Popped Quinoa and Tarragon Dressing

Lump crab meat is the star of this summery salad made with tender butter lettuce, cherry tomatoes, creamy avocado, crispy bits of quinoa and a tangy tarragon and chive dressing made with buttermilk. Popped, also called puffed quinoa, has a great crispy, airy texture and subtle nutty flavor that takes the place of croutons or breadcrumbs in this salad recipe. If you’re a fan of crab check out some of my other shellfish recipes like classic Maryland crab cakes.

Crab Salad with Popped Quinoa and Tarragon Dressing 

Steps to make this salad

Step 1:

Rinse and dry the quinoa ahead of time.

Step 2:

Puff the quinoa in a skillet with a lid, shaking constantly until toasted then set aside.

Step 3:

Make the dressing by whisking together all the ingredients in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Step 4:

Marinate the tomatoes in olive oil and season with salt. 

Step 5:

Add the butter lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, crab and puffed quinoa to a large salad bowl. Step 6: Toss with the dressing and serve. 

What type of crab should I use?

There are several different grades of crab meat sold already out of the shell in stores or online for purchase.

1. Jumbo lump crab (also known as colossal lump) is the highest quality – the pearly white large chunks of crab come from where the crabs connect to the swimmer fins. They are the most expensive because there are only two of these per crab.
2. Lump crab meat comes from broken pieces of jumbo lump crab and large chunks of body meat. It’s slightly less expensive than the jumbo grade but still has great flavor and a bright color (should be white to slightly off-white).
3. Backfin crab meat consists of smaller pieces of broken lump crab meat mixed with smaller pieces of body meat. It is still textured and has a good flavor. It’s another good option if you can’t find lump crab meat. 
4. Claw meat is small and looks more shredded and is a pinkish-tannish color. It is very flavorful but too shredded for crab cakes and is best in soups!

Tips for this salad

• Make the puffed quinoa ahead of time. Since it takes longer to prep if it needs to be washed, it’s best made ahead of time and stored at room temperature until ready to use. It can be made up to 2 weeks in advance. 
• Make the dressing in advance. It only takes a few minutes to whisk together but why worry about one more thing? The dressing can be made up to a week in advance. 
• Swap out crab for another shellfish in this recipe. I love swapping in cooked lobster and claw meat if I have any left over from a boil or another recipe. Shrimp also works well – simply sauté peeled shrimp in a pan and roughly chop before mixing into the salad. 

Crab Salad with Popped Quinoa and Tarragon Dressing

Print Pin

Prep Time 12 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Serves 4

US Customary – Metric

Ingredients:

For the popped quinoa:

• ½ cup uncooked white quinoa

For the tarragon dressing:

• ½ cup buttermilk
• ½ cup sour cream
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons diced chives
• 2 tablespoons chopped tarragon
• Kosher salt, as needed
• Freshly ground black pepper, as needed

For assembly:

• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt, as needed
• 2 medium heads butter lettuce
• 1 medium avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced
• 8 ounces lump crab meat

Instructions:

For the popped quinoa:

• Rinse the quinoa and dry completely overnight. To speed the process up the quinoa can be spread on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 275ºF for 2 hours.
• Add the dried grains to a large skillet and cover. Cook the grains over medium heat, shaking the pan constantly until the quinoa pops. Continue shaking the pan until the popping stops, checking the quinoa occasionally, about 5 minutes (like popcorn). The quinoa should be a pale golden brown color.
• Remove to a baking sheet and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

For the tarragon dressing:

• In a medium bowl whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, garlic, lemon juice, chives and tarragon. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and set refrigerate until ready to use. The dressing can be made up to a week in advance.

For assembly:

• In a small bowl, toss the tomatoes in the olive oil and season with salt.
• In a large salad bowl add the butter lettuce, cherry tomatoes, avocado, crab and ¼ cup of the puffed quinoa. Drizzle with ¼ cups of the dressing and toss to combine, adding more dressing if desired.
• Divide among bowls and serve immediately.

DID YOU MAKE THIS?

TAG ME ON INSTAGRAM TO BE FEATURED ON MY STORIES! @cookingwithcocktailrings