Crab Salad with Pear and Hazelnuts

This delicious crab salad is tossed with with hazelnuts and chopped pear, and served on a bed of butter lettuce.

Elise Bauer

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

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Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Crab Salad with Pears and Hazelnuts
Elise Bauer

Most crab lovers know that fresh crab pairs well with avocado. But have you ever tried it with roasted hazelnuts (also called Filberts)?

Roasted hazelnuts have a naturally buttery flavor that goes beautifully with shellfish like crab and lobster.

The idea for this salad came from a crab hazelnut pear appetizer I had that was prepared by Oregon chef Jason Stoller Smith.

It's lovely!

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Crab Salad with Pear and Hazelnuts

Prep Time 15 mins
Total Time 15 mins
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups fresh lump crab meat
  • 1/4 cup chopped roasted hazelnuts
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
  • 2 firm, but sweet pears, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice (or 3 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice)
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • Salt, to taste
  • 4 large pieces of butter lettuce, rinsed and patted dry

Method

  1. Toss together the ingredients:

    In a medium sized bowl, mix the hazelnuts, celery, pear, onion, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, ground pepper, and salt.

  2. Gently fold in the lump crab meat:

    Try not to break up the crab too much.

  3. Serve in butter lettuce leaves:

    Make individual servings, about a half cup each over a piece of butter lettuce.