Spiralized Kani Salad

Spiralized Kani Salad

To be honest, before this morning, I had never tried a kani salad. So why’d...

Spiralized Kani Salad

To be honest, before this morning, I had never tried a kani salad.

So why’d I decide to Inspiralize a kani salad? I’ve ben getting requests for this dish since I started Inspiralized!

What’s kani? It’s the Japanese word for crab.

Spiralized Kani Salad

A kani salad uses imitation crab meat (surprisingly easy to find at local grocery stores) and mayonnaise. Well, this one uses a Greek yogurt and rice vinegar blend to replace the mayonnaise.

Kani salads usually include cucumbers and romaine lettuce – some are seasoned with sesame seeds, some use carrots for extra crunch and some even include a fish egg garnish.

Spiralized Kani Salad

However you fancy yours, this recipe is the perfect starting point – the proportions of fayo to kani are just right.

If you’re having a sushi night with your friends, this dish is great to serve alongside your sushi rolls, or to enjoy before the rolls are ready, along with some sake.

Spiralized Kani Salad

Most people’s first sushi experience begins with the California roll. A California roll includes imitation crab meat, avocado and cucumber- a good way to dip your toes into the world of sushi.

After working at a Japanese restaurant for most of high school and my beginning years of college, I grew to love sushi – all types, not just maki (the rolls.)

Actually, my experiences at that restaurant inspired one of the recipes in the Inspiralized cookbook – my beet rice sushi rolls. If you don’t have a copy yet, it’s 37% off on Amazon. Think about it.

Spiralized Kani Salad

Nutritional Information & Recipe

Weight Watchers SmartPoints*: 3 points

Inspiralized

Spiralized Kani Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 5 kani sticks sliced thinly into matchsticks
  • 1 large seedless English cucumber, Blade D, noodles trimmed
  • For the fayo:
  • 5 tablespoons Greek yogurt
  • 2 teaspoons rice vinegar

Instructions

  • Thoroughly pat-dry the cucumber noodles until excess moisture is blotted out. Set aside.
  • Whisk together all of the ingredients for the fayo together in the bottom of a large mixing bowl. Add in the kani, cucumber noodles and sesame seeds and toss thoroughly to combine.
  • Serve the salad over diced romaine lettuce, in Bibb lettuce cups or as is.

 

with love, Ali

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Recipe Rating




comments

  • Ahhh, 'crab sticks' as we call them in the UK! I haven't had them since I was at school. Will have to try this! Looks great and really easy for lunch at the office!! Thanks!
  • They are now called 'fish' sticks in the UK because they don't actually contain any crab! Even fish is stretching it, fish slurry is more like it, but I love them.
  • Just be aware of what you're eating. The base of the dish may be healthy but the imitation crab meat is not. It's processed & full of fillers. The dish lost its appeal there for me.
    • Wendy, if kani's not for you, use a substitute such as real crab or even strips of tofu (if you eat tofu.) I try to make the blog for all different types of eaters, so not all recipes will be for everyone! Thanks for your understanding.
      • And using real crab would make it gluten free! Love Kani salad but haven't had it in years! You've "inspired" me to make my own!
  • This would work with crab too....just the long matchsticks would be replaced with flaked crabmeat and the touch of red would be missing...finely grated or spiralized carrot would take care of that. Flavor sounds wonderful!
  • This sounds great, can't wait to try it. I make a similar salad using a dressing made with no-fat or low-fat mayo and low-fat sour cream in a 3 to 2 ratio and dill to taste. I usually use 1 T. Mayo to 2 t. Sour cream and 1/4 t. Dried dill. Thanks for all the terrific recipes, I love spiralizing!
    • thanks for the optional suggestion!
  • Just substitute shrimp for the imitation crab -- that would be great too!
  • Instructions call for sesame seeds. I don't see sesame seeds on the list of ingredients, nor in the pics. Use them or not? Ditto for lettuce(s).
  • Another refreshing salad for these hot, hot, hot summer days! Thank you! I will enjoy, and have fun riffing off your super easy starter recipe.
  • OK, I honestly found this a little bland (sorry!) so I added a little wasabi paste to the yogurt/vinegar dressing and a dash of soy sauce. Since I could see I was heading toward sushi, I finely chopped some pickled ginger and threw that a cubed avocado into the salad. It was a hit with our family, and we also just turned it into a wrap using seaweed.
    • Thanks Loris. Love your additions and the wrap idea.
  • Sadly, l just found out that surimi (crab sticks) contain wheat! Boo! Guess its back to the real stuff but just not often as it is so expensive! Good recipe though, l will keep it.
  • On another note, Ali, could you do some presentations using stack rings? I think the spiralized ingredients would work very well and they are so pretty. I just got some GEFU rings and would like some inspiration.
  • Hi Ali- I made this the other day and the flavor was there but it was SUPER watery- not like your picture at all. I patted the cucumbers dry and the only thing I can think of is that the cucumbers were peeled and not as "fresh" as I would have liked. They were at least a week old. Do you think this was the issue? Thanks! PS- LOVE the wedding photos!! We are getting married in Italy in October and I am using Better Off Wed for some of my details- including the wedding topper. Love them!!
  • This was a real nice change from the run-of-the-mill green salads I so often prepare! Someone before my comment mentioned adding a little soy sauce, so I did that too. My soy sauce was 'low-sodium', so it didn't draw too much water out of the cuke noodles. For me the best way to get those cuke noodles dry is to spread a handful on top of 2-3 pcs of paper towel, top with another paper towel, more cuke noodles, more paper towel. I know, it seems a little wasteful, but I don't have a soggy salad when I do it this way. I'll be making this again for sure!
  • Hi, I have just ordered your book and then googled "how to freeze spiralized noodles" and the first thing that led me to your page, which I have been happily surprised. A friend that had just chatted with me about a spiralizer and my reply to her was to make sure she didn't get a cheap one like I did that didn't stay adhered to the counter and then I see your product and I am so happy to see the quality and will purchase one today. I also belong to many low carb-gluten free blogs and one of my biggest pet peeves is not having the nutritional info on the recipes, so for that the biggest thank you! I look so forward to really delving into your book and website, I am sure we will have a long friendship, Debbie
  • says yields 4 but nutrition info says servings 2.0