This Spa Salad with Crab, Avocado & Citrus is perfect for a January reset. It is the definition of chic, clean eating. Never has indulging in a wealth of decadent ingredients felt so healthy.
I love to eat this salad throughout the first few months of the new year when the citrus is at its juiciest and the crab is at its freshest.
Feel Good Vibes + Nourishing Notes
- Nourishing, not heavy: Healthy fats from avocado and avocado oil keep this salad satisfying while still feeling light and clean.
- Glow-boosting ingredients: Citrus and pomegranate bring a hit of vitamin C and antioxidants that support skin health and immunity.
- Protein with polish: Lump crab adds lean protein and essential minerals without weighing the salad down.
Ingredient Substitutions
- No crab? Sub poached domestic shrimp.
- Citrus: Any sweet orange or grapefruit is lovely in this recipe if you can’t find satsumas or mandarins.
- No pomegranate? Sub roasted cranberries sweetened with honey.
- No arugula? Most tender lettuce will work well. Spinach would be great. Avoid kale.
- No chickpeas? Try quinoa or wild rice.
- No champagne vinegar? Fresh lemon juice or a good quality white wine vinegar are great options.
Recipe Tips & FAQs
- Make sure to carefully pick through the crab meat to remove any shell fragments.
- I know that citrus supremes are all the rage these days, but all the nutrients are in the white part of the orange. Just peel and separate the segments. In my opinion, they usually look better that way anyways.
- If you cook your own chickpeas, the best method is to bring them to a simmer with a pinch of baking soda, then cook them in the oven at 300˚ for about an hour and a half, or until tender. They’ll hold their shape and be extra creamy.
- If your salad dressing breaks, you can bring it back together by slowly drizzling the broken dressing into a small amount of egg yolk or mustard mixed with a little bit more vinegar.
Serving Suggestions
- For a hearty dinner, pair with Zucchini, Millet & Feta Fritters on the side.
- Soup & Salad: love it with a bowl of Fennel Bisque.
- Alchemize your bevie: drop a little citrus peel to your glass of sparkling water for a luxe spa moment with your salad
Storage and Shelf Life
Make Ahead: The dressing can be made a day in advance.
Refrigerate: Salad can be assembled and refrigerated a few hours before, but don’t dress it til you’re ready to serve it!
Freezer: Nope.
Final Thoughts
There’s a lot going on in this salad. It’s full of bright flavors, contrasting textures, and she’s not too shabby to look at, either. It’s a “treat yourself” moment that will leave you feeling healthier than you were before you found it.
Break it out the next time you’re doing all your self-care rituals, and you’ll feel like you just transitioned your kitchen into a 5-star resort.
Have you tried this Spa Salad? Let us know what you think in the comments below. And don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter, new seasonal recipes are delivered to your inbox every Thursday!
Spa Salad with Crab, Avocado & Citrus
Ingredients
- For the Salad:
- 8 ounces jumbo lump crab picked over for shells
- 1 clementine peeled and segmented
- 1 satsuma peeled and segmented
- ½ cup pomegranate arils
- 1 avocado pitted and cut into slices
- ¼ cup green onions washed and sliced
- ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
- 4 ounces arugula washed and dried (about 4 cups)
- ½ cup canned chickpeas rinsed and drained
- Sea salt to taste
- Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
- For the Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- 1 farm fresh egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic crushed (1 small clove)
- ⅓ cup avocado oil.
Instructions
- Prepare the Salad Dressing: Make the dressing by combining 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar, 1 egg yolk, ½ teaspoon mustard, ½ teaspoon crushed garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix until well combined, then slowly drizzle in the ⅓ cup oil while whisking rapidly to emulsify. The dressing should look creamy, the oil and vinegar should not separate. Check for seasoning and adjust if needed. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
- Prepare the Salad: Pick through the 8 ounces of lump crab to check for shells.
- Peel all the citrus fruit, then pull apart the segments. Check for seeds and remove if needed.
- Fill a large bowl with cold water. Cut the pomegranate into quarters and submerge them in the bowl. Separate the seeds from the flesh, working under water so the juice doesn’t stain anything. Reserve the seeds, you need half a cup for this recipe.
- Pit and slice 1 avocado. Thinly slice ¼ cup of green onions, pick ¼ cup parsley leaves, and wash and dry 4 ounces of arugula.
- Combine the citrus segments, pomegranate arils, arugula, green onions, parsley and ½ cup chickpeas in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss with the dressing. Divide between the plates and garnish the top with crab and avocado.
Hi, I’m Julia.
I’m a chef and wellness advocate passionate about helping others live well through nourishing food. I trained at the Culinary Institute of America and now work as a personal chef and community food advocate in Atlanta.
Want to know what inspired me to start Everyday Alchemy? Click the link icon below to read more.