August 25, 2026

Crab cocktail

The prawn cocktail's better-dressed cousin. Marie Rose is the same, the crab is not, and it turns a seventies starter into something you would order out. White meat only, in large flakes.

This recipe comes from Seafood & Eat It, the Newlyn crab company whose hand-picked Cornish crab we stock on the deli counter. Their original is here. We have written ours for a counter, so you can use picked meat from a whole crab or one of their pots.
Serves 1Prep 10 minTotal 10 min Order the crab

Ingredients

  • 100g picked crab meat, or 1 pot of Seafood & Eat It White Crab (ask the counter and we pick a cooked crab)
  • 1 tsp of tomato purée
  • 3 tbsp of good quality mayonnaise
  • Salt and pepper for seasoning
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • Handful of finely chopped dill and parsley
  • 1 lemon, cut into quarters
  • 1 baby gem lettuce, shredded
  • Olive oil

Method

  1. Put the shredded lettuce in two small bowls, drizzle with a little olive oil and squeeze over a ¼ of a lemon over each. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Mix together the tomato purée, mayonnaise, shallot and finely chopped herbs, season to taste. Fold the crab into the mayonnaise, try not to break it up too much. Pile on top of the shredded lettuce.
  3. Place a lemon wedge on the side of each crab cocktail to squeeze over and serve with buttered brown bread.

Shop this recipe: brown crab, the deli counter and what is on the counter today. Ask us to pick and dress a cooked crab.