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    Home » Recipes » Japanese (Modern)

    Updated: Apr 20, 2023 by Marc · 15 Comments

    Kani Salad

    With crunchy vegetables and savory crab sticks, Japanese Kani Salad is a popular side dish served at sushi restaurants around the world. I'll show you how to make this easy delicious salad at home in this recipe.
    Recipe Video Pin
    Kani Salad is a staple at sushi restaurants, and this delicious crab stick salad with cucumbers and carrots is easy to make at home.

    Kani Salad (カニカマ サラダ)

    Kani Salad is a delicious Japanese seafood salad loaded with contrasting textures, tastes, and colors. Although it's known as Kani Salad in the West, the imitation crab meat used to make the dish is called kanikama in Japanese, so in Japan, the dish is known as Kanikama Sarada (カニカマ サラダ). 

    Kani means "crab" in Japanese, and kama is short for kamaboko, a traditional Japanese fishcake. Despite having "crab" in the name, kanikama is made from white fish such as pollock or cod. There's some debate over who invented it, but it was created in the mid-1970s as a new style of kamaboko that has a similar taste and texture to crab meat. Combining these crab sticks with mayonnaise to make a salad has been around since the early days of kanikama, and both imitation crab and Kani Salad have since become popular around the world. 

    In my Kani Salad recipe, I use a combination of crunchy vegetables and slippery glass noodles to create a contrast of tastes and textures, while the creamy mayonnaise in the dressing is balanced out with a refreshing hit of tangy lemon juice and zest. 

    Table of contents

    • Kani Salad (カニカマ サラダ)
    • Why This Recipe Works?
    • Ingredients for Kani Salad
    • How to Make Kani Salad
    • Variations on Kani Salad
    • Other Side Salad Recipes
    • FAQ

    Why This Recipe Works?

    • Salting the vegetables to coax out their water is a technique called shiomomi (literally "rubbed with salt") in Japanese. It removes excess water from the vegetables, which keeps the salad from getting soggy. It also gives the vegetables a nice crunch that makes them similar to pickles.
    • Glass noodles add another layer of texture to the salad while bulking it up.
    • A combination of Japanese mayonnaise and lemon zest/juice creates a creamy yet refreshing Kani Salad Dressing. 
    This easy kani salad recipe makes this plate for delicious crab stick salad in minutes.

    Ingredients for Kani Salad

    • Crab sticks - Crab sticks or kanikama are a type of imitation crab made with surimi (fish paste) seasoned and shaped into textured sticks that resemble crab meat. 
    • Cucumber - Sliced cucumbers contribute a nice crunchy texture to the Kani Salad once salted and squeezed. I recommend using a thin-skinned, seedless variety of cucumbers such as Japanese, Lebanese, or Persian. English or hothouse cucumbers will also work, but you will want to scoop out the seed portion with a spoon before slicing them. 
    • Carrot - Julienned carrots add a nice crunchy texture and natural sweetness to the salad. 
    • Glass noodles - Glass noodles, also known as cellophane noodles, bean thread noodles, and harusame, are transparent noodles made from starch. They have a nice slick texture and provide volume for this salad. Boiled shirataki noodles are a low-calorie alternative that can be substituted. 
    • Black sesame seeds - Toasted black sesame seeds add visual contrast to the salad and a nutty flavor and poppy texture. You can also use toasted white sesame seeds, but they won't have the same color contrast. 
    • Scallions - Chopped scallions give the Kani Salad a mild onion flavor that's a nice complement to the savory crab sticks. I also like keeping a little of it on the side to sprinkle on top as a garnish. 
    • Mayonnaise - Although any kind of mayonnaise will work in a pinch, I highly recommend using Japanese mayonnaise such as Kewpie. It has a taste that's more tart and umami-rich than American mayo, making it well suited for this salad. 
    • Lemon - Adding some lemon zest and lemon juice balances out the creaminess of the mayonnaise, which keeps the salad from becoming too heavy. The lemon zest also gives the Kani Salad a fresh taste that smoothes over any fishiness from the crab sticks. You could also use rice vinegar if you don't have a lemon around.

    How to Make Kani Salad

    The first thing you want to do is toss the sliced cucumber and julienned carrots with the salt to help draw out their excess water. This keeps the salad from getting soggy when you combine it with the dressing while giving the veggies a nice crunchy texture. Let these sweat while you prepare the other ingredients. Once the vegetables have started to become limp, you can speed things up by massaging them with your hand until the cucumbers have turned translucent. Gather up the veggies with both hands and squeeze as much water out of them as you can. 

    Then you want to rehydrate and cook the glass noodles by soaking them in a bowl of boiling water. How long it takes depends on how thick your noodles are, but mine took about 7 minutes until they were tender. Once they're cooked, you can drain and rinse them with cold water. Be sure to squeeze out any excess water with your hands before adding them to the Kani Salad. 

    For the crab sticks, you want to shred them into thin strips by hand. This takes a bit of time, but the fastest way I've found to do this is to roll the sticks between your hands, applying a moderate amount of pressure. This causes the sticks to fall apart, and you can shred them the rest of the way with your fingers. 

    Add the shredded crab sticks, squeeze vegetables, cooked glass noodles, black sesame seeds, scallions, and mayonnaise to a bowl. Zest half a lemon over the salad using a Microplane, and then cut the lemon in half and squeeze some of the juice over the salad. How much lemon juice you add is a matter of personal preference, but I usually add about two teaspoons. 

    Toss everything together to distribute the ingredients evenly. I like to serve my Kani Salad on a bed of lettuce leaves garnished with some extra chopped scallions. 

    With shredded crab sticks, cucumbers, and carrots in a creamy lemon dressing, kani salad is an easy Japanese side salad you can make at home.

    Variations on Kani Salad

    There's a lot of room to improvise in this recipe, and you can substitute in other veggies such as julienned daikon radish or corn kernels. I also like to make a Spicy Kani Salad by adding some sriracha or black pepper to the dressing. You can also add pineapple or mango for a little extra sweetness or some fish roe such as tobiko for a nice poppy texture.

    Other Side Salad Recipes

    • Seaweed Salad
    • Sunomono
    • Wafu Salad
    • Sesame Spinach
    • Chinese Chicken Salad

    FAQ

    What is Kani Salad?

    Kani salad is a Japanese crab salad made of imitation crab and vegetables such as carrots and cucumbers. It's a popular side dish at sushi restaurants outside of Japan and a popular home-cooked dish within Japan, but it's not something you'll find on the menu at restaurants there. 

    Where can I get Kani Salad?

    Kani salad usually appears on menus at modern sushi restaurants in the US. However, it's an easy dish to make at home, so give this Kani Salad recipe a try the next time you're craving it.

    Can I use real crab meat?

    Yes, real crab meat will work fine. If it's been frozen once, you'll want to lightly squeeze it to get rid of any excess water, so it doesn't make the salad soggy.

    Is Kani Salad an authentic Japanese dish?

    Various salads, made using crab sticks and mayonnaise, have existed in Japan since kanikama was invented there. However, these are modern home-cooked dishes and are rarely found in restaurants in Japan. One notable exception is at low-cost kaiten sushi (conveyor belt sushi) restaurants, which sometimes serve a mixture of shredded crab sticks and mayonnaise in gunkan maki. 

    How do you pronounce Kani Salad?

    The Japanese name for Kani Salad is kanikama sarada, and it's pronounced as follows (read the italicized parts).

    ka like copy
    ni like knee
    ka like copy
    ma like mall
    sa like socks
    ra like the “ra” sound does not exist in the English language, and the best way to make it is to say the word "romp" with the tip of your tongue at the front of your mouth. 
    da like dot

    📖 Recipe

    A plate of kani salad made with crab sticks, cucumber, and carrots in a creamy lemon dressing.

    Kani Salad

    4.25 from 8 votes
    Print Pin Discuss
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 15 minutes mins
    Yield 4 side portions

    Equipment

    medium glass bowl
    microplane

    Units

    Ingredients 

    • 100 grams cucumbers (1 small cucumber, thinly sliced)
    • 80 grams carrots (julienned)
    • ¼ teaspoons salt
    • 20 grams glass noodles
    • 140 grams crab sticks
    • 2 teaspoons black sesame seeds
    • 10 grams scallions (1 scallion, chopped)
    • ¼ cup Japanese mayonnaise
    • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
    • lemon zest

    Instructions

    • Put the sliced cucumbers and carrots in a bowl and toss them with the salt. Set these aside to sweat.
      Tossing carrots and cucumbers with salt.
    • Break the glass noodles into 3-inch long pieces and add them to a heat-safe bowl. Pour boiling water over them until the noodles are completely covered. Let these cook and rehydrate for 7 minutes.
      Rehydrating glass in noodles with boiling water.
    • Shred the crab sticks by rolling them between your hands and then pulling the strands of crab stick apart.
      Shredding crab sticks by rolling between hands.
    • When the glass noodles are rehydrated, drain and rinse them with cold water. Squeeze out any excess water with your hands, and add them to the shredded crab sticks.
      Squeezing water out of rehydrated glass noodles.
    • Once the cucumbers and carrots are starting to get limp, massage them with your hand to coax out more water, and then gather the vegetables up with your hands and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Add these to the bowl with the other ingredients.
      Squeezing carrots and cucumbers to remove excess water.
    • To dress the Kani Salad, add the black sesame seeds, scallions, and mayonnaise to the bowl, and then use a Microplane to zest half a lemon into the salad. Next, cut the lemon in half and squeeze some juice into the salad (I used about 2 teaspoons).
    • Toss the ingredients together and serve your Kani Salad on a bed of lettuce.
      Mixing Kani Salad together.
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    Nutrition

    Calories 166kcalCarbohydrates 14gProtein 3gFat 11gSaturated Fat 2gPolyunsaturated Fat 7gMonounsaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 1gCholesterol 10mgSodium 448mgPotassium 116mgFiber 1gSugar 3gVitamin A 3393IUVitamin C 3mgCalcium 24mgIron 1mg

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      Recipe Rating




    1. channonmelissa says

      October 12, 2014 at 9:32 pm

      Looks wonderful! what a great idea for a cool salad that isn't so full of mush and mayo!

      Reply
    2. Marc Matsumoto says

      October 13, 2014 at 1:51 pm

      Thanks Channon!

      Reply
    3. paizley says

      October 18, 2014 at 8:40 pm

      Citrus is great with the kani. My mom's friend use to make something similar to this using poached chicken.

      Reply
    4. Joyce says

      October 20, 2014 at 1:42 pm

      Your version sounds much better than what can be found in restaurants!

      Reply
    5. paizley says

      November 30, 2014 at 7:27 pm

      Nice recipe! So many recipes use surimi which I can't stand!! It's worth paying more for real crab, even if it's canned. Thanks! Btw, my cats won't even eat surimi. They prefer wild-caught seafood. They know the difference! lol

      Reply
    6. Rachel Tejada says

      July 29, 2015 at 7:43 am

      Nice recipes. ..wanna try some of these

      Reply
    7. Vic ford says

      June 12, 2016 at 11:01 pm

      Again you "nailed" it. Love the way you explain things. When a "good ole boy", from the south gets it.....EVERYBODY should get it.

      Reply
    8. Marc Matsumoto says

      June 12, 2016 at 11:40 pm

      Glad to hear you enjoyed it Vic!

      Reply
    9. gazelle19 says

      April 25, 2020 at 12:41 am

      script french ? traduction ....!

      Reply
    10. Elena Cochran says

      June 15, 2021 at 7:05 am

      So... did anyone actually made this? Or is it just brown-nosing session.

      Reply
      • Marc Matsumoto says

        June 16, 2021 at 9:04 am

        Hi Elena, I actually made this, but I guess you're probably not going to take my word for it😆

        Reply
      • Wolfeee says

        April 23, 2022 at 8:37 am

        🤣🤣🤣

        Reply
    11. Lizo says

      February 21, 2022 at 7:12 am

      This is easy and so good! Reminds me of a salad my mother-in-law used to make! I had all the ingredients except the Kani, so drove to my Asian mkt, got some and voila! Delicious Marc, thanks

      Reply
      • Marc Matsumoto says

        February 21, 2022 at 10:41 pm

        Wow that was fast! I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it😀

        Reply
    12. Harini Vino says

      February 22, 2022 at 12:03 am

      This looks so yummy and different. Thanks for the recipe.

      Reply

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