Light, fresh, and absent of any raw seafood concerns, Imitation Crab Ceviche is a light and tasty snack that’s best enjoyed with tortilla chips or tostadas.
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Ceviche is a chilled dish that is made from raw fish that is “cooked” or “cured” thanks to the acid from fresh citrus juice - usually lime or lemon. It reminds me of a pico de gallo or fresh chopped salsa, but with seafood. It must be made fresh and eaten immediately to minimize any risk of food poisoning.
When I think of ceviche, I think yum, get that seafood pico over here so I can get it in my mouth. There are those who when they think of ceviche - or upon learning what ceviche is - think, no thanks, get that potentially bad time in the bathroom away from me. But you needn't worry with imitation crab because it’s a fully cooked product, ready to use straight from the package!
You can of course make Crab Ceviche with real crab meat in the recipe I’m about to lay on you. But if you’re on a budget, imitation crab is the way to go.
If you like easy toss-it-together recipes like this one, you might also enjoy this Chipotle Chicken Salad or my Tex-Mex Pasta Salad, which happens to also work well with some imitation crab tossed in it!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Versatile Dish: It works as a fantastic appetizer served with tortilla chips - it’s sort of like a pico de gallo with faux crab instead of tomatoes. You can also enjoy it as a light meal atop a tostada or inside a wrap - tortilla or lettuce.
- Quick to Make: It takes just minutes to make but it tastes much better if you let it sit in the refrigerator for 4 hours.
- Fresh Flavors: Fresh, tangy lime juice, a bit of spice from the chilis, crisp veggies, and creamy avocado come together in an explosion of flavor that really elevates the imitation crab meat!
Ingredients
Taking the time to buzz up the lime juice “dressing” is what makes this faux Crab Ceviche recipe special. Instead of just dumping in lime juice and calling it good, mixing the lime juice with jalapeno and onion adds complexity and helps infuse the dish with more flavor.
- Flake Style Imitation Crab Meat: Imitation crab is essentially processed fish flesh (often pollock) that has been deboned, washed, finely pulverized, then shaped and cured to resemble crab legs. As the name suggests, there is no crab in it, but it is made out of seafood - the hot dog of the sea if you will. You can find it refrigerated at your local grocery store.
- Vegetables: Finely minced red onion and poblano pepper make a great base for pairing with the faux crab meat.
- Avocado: I like the creaminess it lends, but you could leave it out.
- Old Bay seasoning: A little goes a long ways! Old Bay just felt right here. It's great on seafood, so I figured it would also be great on seafood-adjacent foods.
Lime Juice “Dressing”
This super simple dressing contains fresh onion and jalapeno and lime juice, and just a little canola oil and salt. It's the perfect binder to tie this recipe together.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below - keep scrolling!
Substitutions
Here are some easy subs if you’d like to mix it up.
- Swap in shallots instead of using red onion.
- Green bell pepper (or any color bell pepper) works just fine instead of poblano.
- You can leave the avocado out if you’re not a fan.
- Instead of parsley, try cilantro.
Variations
This ceviche would be fantastic with fresh summer tomatoes. And with some bite from red chili flakes or cayenne pepper.
- Make it spicy by adding in a few dashes of chili pepper flakes or a few pinches of cayenne pepper. I’d recommend sprinkling the chili pepper flakes right in, but adding the cayenne pepper to the lime juice “dressing”.
- A nice, ripe, incredibly fresh summer tomato would be amazing here. Finely dice a medium-sized one - like a Better Boy - and add it to the mix. I would definitely recommend salting and straining the tomato (as I instruct in this pico de gallo) before adding to prevent a watery ceviche.
How to Make Faux Crab Ceviche - Directions
- Step 1: Make the dressing and prep ingredients. Add the diced onion and jalapeno, freshly-squeezed lime juice, canola oil, and salt to a food processor or blender. Blend for 30 seconds to chop and mix. Shred the imitation crab meat into pieces with your hands and add to a bowl along with the diced red onion and poblano pepper.
- Step 2: Mix together. Pour the lime juice mixture into the bowl and sprinkle in Old Bay seasoning.
- Step 3: Mix. Fold the ingredients together to combine. At this point, I highly recommend refrigerating for 4 hours to let the flavors meld before eating.
- Step 4: Add avocado and serve. Add the diced avocado pieces to the ceviche and gently fold until just mixed. Serve and garnish with fresh parsley.
⭐️ Hint: Wait to add the avocado until right before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Faux Crab Ceviche is best served really, really cold. When serving for guests, serve in a bowl over a bowl full of ice to keep it chilled.
Serve with tortilla chips or atop tostadas. For a low-carb option, serve as a lettuce wrap with some fresh iceberg or butter lettuce.
Enjoy it before diving into a meal of these Doritos Walking Tacos or Leftover Pulled Pork Tacos and some Instant Pot Spanish Rice.
Top Tip
Eat within 24 hours for maximum freshness, but try to let it sit for at least 4 hours before serving to let the flavors meld. Use freshly squeezed lime juice and the freshest ingredients you can find.
Recipe FAQs
I recommend using up leftovers within 2 days because the avocado will slowly turn an unappealing browish color. Without avocado, it will last for 3-4 days.
Store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator. For best results, eat within 2 days as the avocado will quickly brown with exposure to the air.
Many grocery stores carry imitation crab meat. I found imitation crab refrigerated near the seafood counter at my local grocery store.
More Appetizer Recipes to Try
If you tried this Imitation Crab Ceviche recipe (or any other recipe on Midwexican), please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it turned out in the 📝 comments below!
Imitation Crab Ceviche
Ingredients
Imitation Crab Ceviche
- 8 ounces imitation crab meat (flake style)
- ½ medium red onion finely minced
- 1 poblano pepper finely minced
- 1 avocado diced
- ½ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- salt, to taste
- parsley, finely chopped (optional, garnish)
Lime Juice “Dressing”
- 1 tablespoon onion finely minced
- 1 jalapeno diced
- 3 tablespoons lime juice freshly squeezed
- ½ tablespoon canola oil
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add diced onion, diced jalapeno, freshly-squeezed lime juice, canola oil, and salt to a food processor or blender.
- Blend for 30 seconds. Set aside.
- Shred the imitation crab meat into pieces with your hands and add to a bowl. Add diced red onion and poblano pepper.
- Pour lime juice mixture into the bowl. Sprinkle in Old Bay seasoning.
- Fold the ingredients together, until just combined.
- If possible, refrigerate for 4 hours to let the flavors meld before eating.
- Remove Imitation Crab Ceviche from the refrigerator and add the diced avocado pieces, and gently fold until just mixed.
- Serve with tortilla chips or atop tostadas.
- Garnish with fresh parsley.
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