Crab Louie Salad Dressing
The secret to a fabulous Crab Louie Salad (also known as “Crab Louis”) is the Crab Louie salad dressing. This tangy dressing pairs beautifully with the Dungeness crab on a crisp bed of iceberg lettuce with fresh tomatoes and boiled eggs. If you can’t get to the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, California, this is the next best thing!
The original Louie dressing recipe has since evolved into what some may call “Thousand Island dressing”, but this recipe stays true to the authentic Louie dressing with minimal ingredients.
Louie salad is known as the “King of Salads” on the West Coast due to its fresh Dungeness crab, simple ingredients and its tangy Louie dressing.
Crab Louie Dressing Ingredients
This dressing recipe uses mayonnaise, good old tomato based Chili Sauce you’ll find on the same aisle with the ketchup, heavy whipping cream, Worstershire sauce, fresh lemon juice, finely chopped parsley, salt and ground white pepper. You can add in a pinch of cayenne pepper for a little heat; this is optional. (For exact ingredient amounts and step-by-step instructions, see the recipe card below.)
How to make the dressing
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the dressing ingredients. For best results, cover and chill in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes, then drizzle over the crisp greens.
Salad ingredients
Crisp iceberg lettuce, fresh tomato wedges, hard boiled eggs and the tangy dressing. Sliced cucumbers are a nice addition, but optional and not native to the original recipe.
Recipe tips
- Chili sauce is on the ketchup aisle at the grocery store; I used Heinz Chili Sauce
- You can use Dungeness crab, lump crab meat or imitation crab
- Substitute romaine lettuce for iceberg if you want
- For the prettiest presentation, plate salad on individual plates or bowls
- If serving from a large bowl, place eggs and tomatoes strategically so everyone gets at least 3 tomato wedges and 2 boiled egg halves
How to make the salad
This is a brief overview of how to make the salad and dressing. See the recipe card below for exact steps.
- Boil the eggs- hard boil eggs
- Prep the Dungeness crab – steam crab
- Clean the lettuce and chop it into bite size pieces; cut the tomatoes into wedges and set aside.
- Make the Louie dressing in a separate small mixing bowl; combine well
- Plate the chopped lettuce, then top with the crabmeat, tomatoes and eggs. Drizzle a little dressing over the top; season with salt and white pepper to taste
Make ahead and storage
Make the dressing in advance up to 3 days and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Freezing is not recommended due to the eggs in the mayonnaise-the texture of the sauce turns yucky.
Boil the eggs up to 5 days in advance – store them whole, not sliced, in the fridge in an airtight container as well.
As for the lettuce, you can clean and dry it (a salad spinner is handy for this), wrap in a damp paper towel, and store in the vegetable bin of your fridge for up to 3 days.
Variations
Add any of these ingredients for an upscaled Louie salad: lemon wedges, dill weed, chopped cucumbers, green onions, sliced red onion
This crab Louie dressing is delicious on just about any type of salad you make! It’s also a nice dipping sauce for catfish nuggets!
Related recipes
- Seafood Cobb Salad
- Cold Dill Shrimp Salad
- Mexican Shrimp Cocktail
- Greek Baked Shrimp (Shrimp Saganaki)
- Seafood Manicotti Alfredo
- Fresh Shrimp Dip
Crab Louie Salad Dressing
Equipment
- stockpot
- Steamer basket
- Tongs
Ingredients
Crab Louie Salad Dressing Ingredients
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- ½ cup chili sauce (on the ketchup aisle)
- ¼ cup heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons fresh chopped parsley
- salt and white ground pepper to taste
Salad Ingredients
- 1 large head of iceberg lettuce
- 2 cups chopped Dungeness crab meat
- 3 medium roma tomatoes
- 4 eggs hard-boiled
Instructions
- Make the Louie dressing in a separate small mixing bowl; combine well, cover and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes. Serve over Crab Louie Salad.2 cups mayonnaise, ½ cup chili sauce, ¼ cup heavy cream, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 2 teaspoons fresh chopped parsley, salt and white ground pepper to taste
How to make the Crab Louie Salad
- Boil the eggs-Place room temperature eggs in a deep saucepan in enough cold water to cover; turn heat to medium-high and bring to boil; boil 2 minutes, cover and remove from heat. Let eggs sit (covered and off heat) for about 12-14 minutes; transfer boiled eggs to a bowl with ice water and allow to cool, then peel eggs and cut into quarters or wedges and set aside.4 eggs hard-boiled
- Prep the Dungeness crab– rinse the crab legs; bring a large stockpot of water to boil; place a steam basket on the stockpot and place the crab legs in the steamer; cover and allow to steam until the crab legs are bright pink or orange color; remove with tongs and allow to cool. Once cooled, gently remove crab meat from the shells, chop into fine pieces and set aside2 cups chopped Dungeness crab meat
- Meanwhile, clean the lettuce and chop it into bite size pieces; cut the tomatoes into wedges and set aside.1 large head of iceberg lettuce, 3 medium roma tomatoes
- Plate the chopped lettuce, then top with some the crabmeat, tomatoes and eggs. Drizzle a little dressing over the top; season with salt and white pepper to taste
