Mexican Crab Cocktail with imitation crab in a spicy tomato juice cocktail. This coctel de jaiva is loaded with fresh flavors and makes the perfect appetizer served with saltines or tostadas.
Coctel de camaron is my favorite appetizer to make for Summer parties. It’s loaded with fresh flavors and spicy tomato juice cocktail that pairs well with ice-cold beer.
Unfortunately, this Mexican cocktail is not always a smart option. At $7.99 and up per pound for good-sized shrimps, it can get really expensive especially when serving a large crowd. And of course, there’s the peeling and deveining. Who’s got time for that?
Enter: Mexican crab cocktail. Made of the more affordable imitation crab, you get all the seafood cocktail flavors you love at half the price and half the work!
What is Imitation Crab Meat made of?
Imitation crab meat or kani is made of surimi, a gelatinous paste composed of white-fleshed fish (most often pollock), seafood extracts and a starch binder. Shaped and cured to resemble real crab meat in taste and texture, it is a popular and cheaper alternative for lump crab meat in many dishes such as sushi, salads, and soup.
Is Imitation Crab Meat Raw?
The best part of using imitation crab in this Mexican cocktail recipe is that there’s no cooking involved. Kani is fully cooked and the only prep it needs is to coarsely shred the large chunks into smaller strands.
I do, however, like to generously drizzle the shredded crab meat with citrus juice and let stand for a few minutes before adding the rest of the coctel ingredients. I find that this takes a little edge off the fishy taste.
What to Serve with Mexican Crab Cocktail
Like the shrimp version, this seafood cocktail is best served with saltine crackers or tostadas. I personally love to use it as a dip for crisp tortilla chips and then gulp down the refreshing tomato caldo when all the solid goodies are gone. Sooo good!
Mexican Crab Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 pound imitation crab, coarsely shredded
- juice from 2 limes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1 onion, peeled and diced
- 1 large cucumber, peeled and diced
- 2 Jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
- 1/2 bundle cilantro, stemmed and chopped
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 cups Clamato juice
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine crab and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let stand for 3 to 5 minutes.,
- Add tomatoes, onions, cucumber, jalapeno, and cilantro.
- Add ketchup and stir to combine.
- Add Clamato juice.
- Season with salt to taste. Gently stir to combine.
- Refrigerate for about 10 to 15 minutes to allow flavors to meld.
Nutrition
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