Carrageenan Free Crab Cocktail Bites with Avocado & Herb Sauce
Elegant, fresh, and built entirely from whole ingredients, these little bites are the kind of appetizer that disappears from the platter before you've even finished arranging them. Lump crab meat is folded gently with lemon, chives, parsley, and a hint of ground ginger, then piled onto crisp cucumber rounds for a no-fuss base that keeps everything light and bright. The real star is the blended avocado herb sauce — silky, garlicky, and loaded with cilantro — which acts as both a flavor anchor and a creamy cushion for the crab. For anyone navigating carrageenan concerns, the challenge with seafood-based dishes is often the processed or imitation products that sneak in thickeners and stabilizers. This recipe sidesteps all of that by starting with real lump crab meat and building every component from scratch using olive oil, fresh herbs, citrus, and whole avocado. There's nothing here that requires a label check beyond the crab itself — just clean, recognizable ingredients from start to finish. Serve them straight from the fridge with a squeeze of lemon, and they're as impressive as anything you'd find at a catered event, with none of the ingredient anxiety.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the crab salad
- 8 oz lump crab meat, picked over for shells
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
For the avocado herb sauce
- 1 large ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 2–3 tbsp cold water
For assembly
- 1 large english cucumber (about 12 inches), sliced into ¼-inch rounds
For serving
- fresh chives or micro herbs, for garnish (optional)
- lemon wedges, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
In a mixing bowl, combine the crab meat, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice, lemon zest, chives, parsley, ground ginger, and 1/4 tsp salt. Fold gently until just combined, keeping the crab in large pieces. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes to let the flavors come together.
- 2
While the crab chills, make the avocado herb sauce: add the avocado, cilantro, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp olive oil, garlic, and 1/4 tsp salt to a small food processor or blender. Blend until smooth, adding cold water 1 tbsp at a time until the sauce is pourable but still thick enough to hold a small mound — about the consistency of a loose hummus.
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