Crab Tacos with Avocado Sauce

Fresh crab with butter and lime, a creamy avocado sauce, pico de gallo and a fresh tortilla. This recipe for crab tacos is simple to make and so tasty!

Let’s taco bout crab. I created this taco recipe after returning from Alaska having just had some amazing crab tacos! The crab was so fresh and the avocado sauce brought so much flavor to the taco table.

So I had to come home and recreate it!

This crab taco recipe takes just 15 minutes to make. Perfect for a taco night or Cinco de Mayo celebration!

What kind of crab is best for crab tacos?

Fresh jumbo lump Alaskan King crab meat is the best but lump crab or claw meat is more affordable so purchase what works best for you. Any kind of crab meat will work too such as Maryland Blue Crab Dungeness crab, or snow crab, especially if you live close enough to get any of those fresh.

Since this recipe is loaded with other ingredients canned crab meat can be used but just keep in mind you’ll sacrifice some of the flavor. I haven’t tried imitation crab with this recipe but feel free to experiment and let me know how it turns out!

How to Make Crab Tacos

These crab tacos come together quickly and you can even use store bought salsa to make it even easier.

Scroll down to the bottom for the printable recipe card with exact measurements and recipe instructions.

1. Prepare the salsa: All the salsa ingredients can be added together and blended in one step.
2. Prepare the avocado sauce: Same with the avocado sauce!
3. Combine crab mixture and heat: Add the ingredients to a saucepan and heat until very warm.
4. Heat tortillas and prepare tacos: Warm the tortillas on a skillet or griddle and place the crab mixture on the tortillas. Top with salsa, avocado sauce, jalapeno slices, and lettuce or any toppings that you prefer.

Crab Taco Tips

Soft, hard, flour, corn tortillas. Use your favorite!

The key is to use the freshest ingredients possible and sweet, delicate crab meat.

Use the crab mixture to make a tostada, burrito, nachos, bowl, or even a crab taco salad.

Toppings for crab tacos

For texture, a few fresh jalapeno slices make for fabulous spicy crab tacos if you can handle the heat; if not, add some thinly shredded lettuce or cabbage. I like to add both! Here’s a list of some crab taco toppings:

• Shredded cabbage or lettuce
• Cabbage slaw
• Crème fraîche or sour cream
• Thinly sliced radish
• Diced red or yellow bell pepper
• Sliced jalapeños or serrano peppers
• Hot sauce
• Tajin seasoning
• Diced poblano peppers
• Avocado
• Shredded cheese or queso
• Pico de Gallo
• Salsa or chopped tomato & onion
• Chopped fresh cilantro

Top it off with an ice-cold beer or margarita or margarita beer and you’ll be in crab taco heaven!

Continue to Content

Crab Tacos with Avocado Sauce

Yield: 4 tacos

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Crab tacos combine two of my favorite foods into one delicious meal!

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Ingredients

Salsa, or use your favorite salsa

• 1 garlic clove
• 4 Roma tomatoes, each cut into six pieces
• 1/4 large white onion, chopped into eight large pieces
• 1 med-sized chipotle pepper (from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce)
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Avocado Sauce

• 1 large avocado, skin and pit removed
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt (or sour cream)
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Crab Mixture

• 8 oz cooked crab, jumbo lump crab preferred
• 1 tbs unsalted butter, melted
• 2 -3 tbs salsa juice (drained from salsa)
• juice of 1/4 lime
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Other

• 4 corn tortillas
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced jalapeno
• 1/2 cup very thinly sliced lettuce or cabbage
• lime wedges

Instructions

1. Place garlic clove in a food processor and run until finely minced (it’s a good idea to do this first with any recipe that uses garlic and a food processor; this way you ensure there are no large garlic pieces). Add the rest of the salsa ingredients; pulse until finely chopped (about 10-15 pulses). Place salsa in serving dish and rinse out the food processor.
2. Place all ingredients for the avocado sauce into the food processor and run until very smooth. Place in serving dish.
3. Drain a few tablespoons of juice from salsa and add to saucepan. Add crab, salt and melted butter; mix thoroughly, being careful to keep crab pieces from falling apart. Heat crab mixture over low heat until very warm.
4. Heat tortillas in a cast-iron skillet or griddle, overlapping as necessary but ensuring that at least half of each tortilla is touching the pan. Remove when either warmed or leave slightly longer to get a light char.
5. Place 1 oz of crab mixture on each tortilla, top with salsa, avocado sauce, jalapeno slices, and lettuce.

Notes

Note: What do you do with the rest of the can of chipotle peppers? I put mine in a plastic, zipped bag in the fridge (double bag it, it likes to leak). They’ll keep a couple of weeks. Or, since your food processor is already out, puree the entire can, put in ice cube trays and, when frozen, put the cubes into a freezer bag. They’ll keep up to 3 months!

I highly suggest doubling the salsa; it’s great on its own and you can munch on some salty chips while you’re working. Also, the avocado sauce is so good you’re going to want to lick the spoon!

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 353Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 1138mgCarbohydrates: 50gFiber: 42gSugar: 28gProtein: 15g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.

More crab recipes:

• Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
• Hot Crab and Artichoke Dip
• Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Fresh Crab
• Tarragon Lemon Salad with Fresh Crab & Avocado
• Imitation Crab Ceviche
• Imitation Crab Salad

• Author
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Kristy Bernardo

Kristy Bernardo is the recipe creator behind The Wicked Noodle. She's a five-time cookbook author, has taught cooking classes to both kids and adults, and has been creating recipes for nationwide brands since 2009. She learned most of her cooking skills from her mom and grandmother, then honed those skills at boot camp at the Culinary Institute of America.

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