Last Updated on October 28, 2025 by Kymberley
Satisfying Seafood Pasta Salad made with Imitation Crab
This is an easy seafood pasta salad recipe, perfect for summer when the temperatures rise and you don’t want to be stuck cooking over a hot stove.
ABOUT THIS RECIPE (per serving)
If you’re like me, during summer, I find myself wanting to spend way less time in the kitchen. Because busy days of outdoor activities, swimming at the lake, local splash pad, or in the pool call for something quick and easy when you’re hot and too tired to cook.
When it comes to light dishes for hot summer nights, there’s nothing better than a salad to make eating healthy delicious.
One of our favorite hot day meal salads is Seafood Pasta Salad, made with imitation crab. When made with imitation crab, it’s very inexpensive! And it’s an ideal whole-meal in a salad dish, where you can easily swap out the imitation crab for lump crab meat if you can afford the real deal.
#GlutenFree #Seafood #PastaSalad with #ImitationCrab a #SatisfyingFood #SummerMeal for when you’re hot and too tired to cook! #Recipe #GFreeDeliciously
I make this Seafood Pasta Salad a lot every summer. It's perfect for picnics and potlucks too!
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Step-by-step here's how to assemble the salad...
Add the drained and cooled pasta to a large mixing bowl, then add the water chestnuts, black olives, peas, cheese, and Imitation Crab.
Add the mayonnaise and sprinkle the seasonings over the top of all the ingredients.
Using the back of a large spoon, lightly spread the mayonnaise, seasoning, and spices over the ingredients...
...then gently fold the mayonnaise and spice mixture into the pasta until evenly blended.
Cover and place into the refrigerator for 30 to 45 minutes to allow for the flavors to blend. Stir gently before serving. Enjoy!
Did you like this recipe? Try these popular pasta salad recipes too!
Lemon Fusilli Salad with Shrimp
Asparagus and Pea Macaroni Pasta Salad
Still looking to up your salad game with more meal-time salad ideas?
Salads used to be one of my least favorite foods. Eating one was like being on a diet, and we all know dieting is the absolute worst. I was always hungry, and then I’d indulge – the exact opposite of why I ate it in the first place.
Then I discovered that salads aren’t boring. They’re delicious!
They’re explosions of texture, flavor, and… Dare I say it? The nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that make our bodies run smooth and rockin’.
When I was younger, I made the most uninspired salads with droopy iceberg lettuce, cold tomato, chewy carrots, and the most horrible bottled dressing ever. It gave me salad horrors. I barely ate them for years.
Once I started proactively managing my gluten-free health with a clean, whole foods diet is when I turned the corner on salads. Then I realized just how excellent salads could be. It’s like having all the foods you love in one bowl with the bonus that it gives you energy, defends you from inflammation and disease, helps your body repair itself, and leaves you feeling super satisfied to boot!
That’s why I pulled together an eBook filled with 20 yummy, gluten-free, nutrient-filled salad recipes to leave your tummy happy.
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You’re going to love these 20 salad recipes because they make healthy eating exciting and do-able.
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Download your FREE recipe eBook to get 20 Amazing Salad Recipes to make eating healthy delicious! Just click the button below...
This collection of 20 Amazing Salad Recipes to Make Eating Healthy Delicious gives you options for simple lunches and dinners to help you enjoy eating healthy salads year-round.
In the meantime, summer is here everyone, let’s enjoy every bite!
XXO
Kymberley
P.S. Have you tried this recipe for Seafood Pasta Salad? Click the blue-green comment bubble at the bottom right corner of your screen to let me know your thoughts. I would love to hear!
Seafood Pasta Salad {Imitation Crab}
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Ingredients
Equipment
Nutrition
Method
- Most kinds of pasta cook in 8 to 12 minutes. Cook until it is tender and firm but no longer crunchy - al-dente' (ahl-DEN-Tay). Drain the pasta, then rinse in cold water to bring the temperature down quickly, stopping the cooking process and keeping the noodles loose for the salad. Once cooled, transfer the cooled pasta to a colander or mesh strainer, shake to remove excess water. Set aside.
- Drain the water chestnuts, then slice or chop into small pieces.
- Cut the Colby cheese into approximately 1/4-inch cubes.
- Drain and slice the Imitation Crab legs into bite-size 1/2-inch chunks.
- If using whole black olives, slice them into 1/8-inch slices.
- Add the drained and cooled pasta to a large mixing bowl, then add the water chestnuts, black olives, peas, cheese, and Imitation Crab.
- Add the mayonnaise and sprinkle the seasonings over the top of all the ingredients.
- Using the back of a large spoon, lightly spread the mayonnaise, seasoning and spices over the ingredients, then gently fold the mayonnaise and spice mixture into the pasta until evenly blended.
- Cover and place into the refrigerator for 30 to 45 minutes to allow for the flavors to blend. Stir gently before serving. Enjoy!
Kitchen Notes
G-Free Quick Tip: Nearly everyone knows and loves Lawry's ® Seasoned Salt, the famous seasoning blend with endless uses.
At G-Free Deliciously, we've made a gluten-free copycat version that tastes just like you remember it, at a fraction of the supermarket price. To make it, check out the recipe for Gluten-Free Seasoned Salt {Lawry's ® Seasoned Salt – Copycat Recipe}.Personal Notes
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(Nutritional values are an approximation. Actual nutritional values may vary due to preparation techniques, variations related to suppliers, regional and seasonal differences, or rounding.)
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