King Louis Crab Salad

King Louis crab salad is a famous west coast staple and is served in many different variations in well known restaurants. Each chef puts his or her own twist on it and there is a great deal of argument as to where and when this crab salad became famous. 

In 1904 in the Seattle Olympic Club, Enrico Caruso (known as the world's greatest tenor) sampled the salad when the Metropolitan Opera Company was touring Washington. It is said that he kept ordering the King Louis crab salad until there was none left. 

In 1914 the King Louis crab salad was served in the Davenport Hotel in Spokane, Washington. It is still on their menu today. 

And in the 1950s this kingly crab salad reached it's peak when it was made famous at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco and paired with it's famous Green Goddess dressing. 

Either way, the King Louis crab salad is a great way to dress up both a casual dinner at home or to serve as an impressive prequel at a dinner party. 

Following are two recipes for King Louis crab salad. One is a traditional recipe and the other is an offering by television personality, Rachael Ray as listed on foodnetwork.com

Classic California King Louis Crab Salad

Ingredients:

For Salad:

1/2 pound cooked lump crab meat (shelled or picked through)

2/3 of a head of lettuce

1 ripe avocado – halved, pitted and peeled

2 small tomatoes - cut into wedges

1 hard boiled egg – cubed or sliced

For 'Louis Dressing':

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

1/4 cup chili sauce

3 tablespoons green onions – minced

3 tablespoon green pepper – minced

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Directions:

For Salad:

Arrange a few large leaves of lettuce on a plate, adding some smaller ones torn on top.

Add wedges of avocado, sliced bits of egg and wedges of tomato around the edges.

Place crab meat in the center and pat into a shaped mound

For Dressing:

Whisk all ingredients together and serve in a pitcher with the salad

King Louis Crab Salad as seen on Food Network

Alaskan King Crab Legs

Ingredients:

For Salad:

1 head chopped iceberg lettuce

12 ounces cooked crab meat (shelled or picked through)

1 full fresh avocado –pitted and peeled, and thinly sliced lengthwise

3 full fresh tomatoes – halved and then quartered

1/2 or even 1 pound of spears of asparagus – nicely cooked

For Dressing:

1 pint mayonnaise

1/2 pint tomato ketchup

1/2 cup sweet relish

1/2 cup chopped black olives

2 hard boiled eggs – chopped

Directions:

For Salad:

Make bed of lettuce on plate.

Add on top the crab meat, then the avocado, and finally the tomatoes as well as the asparagus

Drizzle with dressing

For Dressing:

Combine all ingredients, mix well

Drizzle over crab salad

Regardless of which version of the “King of Salads” that you choose, it's certain to be one of the more memorable crab salads that you and your guests will ever eat. This Pacific Northwest classic crab salad will soon become a fast favorite of yours as well. 

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 How to Cook Crab Legs - Easy Step By Step Guide