No Cook Cilantro Lime Crab Tacos – Delicious crab meat with a kicked up blend of spices is the perfect way to usher in the fall season. Best of all, there’s no cooking involved!
Tomorrow Mr. Simple Seasonal and I are packing the kids (and all their crap) into the car. We’re going to head south from Philadelphia for our much anticipated annual September trip to Ocean City, Maryland. My 6-year-old is literally losing his mind from excitement. He’s become a motor-mouth of endless energy who can’t stop talking about the beach, seashells, the boardwalk, and (most of all) crabbing.
When it comes to crabs, Mr. Simple Seasonal and I get pretty excited as well. Maybe not to the point of my son who had trouble sleeping last night… Instead, I channel my excitement into making new crab recipes. Seriously though, I’ve developed a crab recipe every September since the inception of this blog. I’m honestly kind of surprised (and a bit embarrassed) by how much crab I eat!
My latest crab recipe is No Cook Cilantro Lime Tacos. They’re stuffed with a crab salad that has a zing from lime and chipotle chili powder. I’m still getting crunchy and sweet peppers, spicy onions, and juicy tomatoes from my local CSA farm which adds a seasonal element to this dish. To top things off, these babies are topped with a Honey Cilantro Sour Cream. Oh, and did I point out the fact that this is a NO COOK meal? If you love great food, but are busy like me, this meal is perfect for you!
P.S. – FUN FACT
If you’re able to get your hands on some Maryland Blue Crab, it’s considered to be sustainably sourced, compared to much of what’s available in the marketplace. For more info, check out this guide to finding environmentally friendly crab.
- ⅓ C fresh lime juice
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp chipotle chili powder*
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
- ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
- 16 oz lump crab meat
- ½ C diced and drained fresh tomatoes
- ⅓ C finely chopped red onion
- ⅓ C finely chopped sweet yellow pepper
- 1 C sour cream
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp minced cilantro
- 1 thinly sliced haas avocado
- 8 soft taco shells
- Start by making the crab salad. In a large bowl whisk together lime juice, olive oil, chipotle chili powder, black pepper and cilantro until the dressing is evenly combined. Next fold in crab meat, tomatoes, red onion, and yellow pepper. Set the salad aside.
- To make the honey cilantro sour cream mix together sour cream, honey, and cilantro until evenly combined and then set aside.
- Finally, assemble the crab tacos by arranging avocados and then the crab salad on a tortilla shell. Finish by drizzling with honey cilantro sour cream. Serve immediately. This recipes makes enough for four people to have two crab tacos each.
i was wondering how were you going to make a no cook crab taco. i was very disapointed that you used canned crab. To me that is cooked crab. maybe you didnt cook it but its cooked canned crab. why is it that nobody is really using fresh crab meat instead of that canned stuff. First of all it tastes different smells different.
I am very happy with canned crab meat. I often use claw meat because it’s less expensive than lump. Many years ago, canned crab was disagreeable, but over the years has become quite good.