Crab, Grapefruit and Avocado Crispbread Plates

A Lunch Without Cooking

2 cold lunch plates · Active 25 min · Total 25 min

Shelf-stable canned crab, juicy grapefruit and avocado make a light but complete crispbread lunch without a pan. The crab is folded with a little yogurt and mustard rather than hidden in a large bowl of mayonnaise. Grapefruit pieces stay separate so their juice does not soften the crispbread before the meal. This is a plate to assemble when you stop, using the opened seafood promptly and keeping every perishable part cold until then.

Jump to ingredients

Crab, grapefruit and avocado lunch plate with rye crispbread.

Check the can and drain gently

Choose shelf-stable canned crab, not a refrigerated pasteurized tub that happens to look similar. Both need refrigeration after opening, but only the sealed shelf-stable can belongs in an unrefrigerated cupboard. Drain through a small sieve and check for shell fragments with clean fingers or a fork. Fold gently into the yogurt dressing to keep some pieces intact. There is no need to press the crab completely dry into a tight lump.

Catch the grapefruit juice separately

Cut the peel and bitter white pith from the grapefruit, then work over a small bowl to remove segments between their membranes. Save the loose juice for a drink or another use rather than pouring it into the crab. Halve very large segments so each bite can include a little fruit. The avocado should yield slightly while still cutting into clean slices. A very soft avocado can be mashed on the crispbread, but it will give a different plate texture.

Crispbread is the last part to assemble

Lay out the crab, fruit, avocado and arugula on two plates with the crispbread alongside. Add topping to one piece at a time as you eat. Packing every sheet under wet ingredients turns a pleasant crunchy lunch into a fragile soft stack. If carrying the components, use separate sealed tubs and an insulated bag with cold sources. The fact that the crab began in a can does not make the dressed mixture safe to store warm, and citrus juice does not change that requirement.

Ingredients

  • 2 small shelf-stable cans crab meat, drained and checked for shell, yielding 7 oz total (200 g)
  • 1/4 cup thick plain yogurt (60 g)
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (5 g)
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice (10 ml)
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (0.5 g)
  • 1 large pink grapefruit, peeled and segmented (200 g prepared flesh)
  • 1 small avocado, peeled, stoned and sliced (100 g prepared flesh)
  • 2 cups arugula, washed and dried (40 g)
  • 8 rye crispbread sheets (80 g total), to serve

Set out

Can opener, Small sieve, Small mixing bowl, Sharp knife and board, Two plates

Allergens

Crustacean shellfish, Milk, Mustard, Rye; many crispbreads also contain wheat—check label. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Open and drain the crab, checking carefully for shell fragments. Mix yogurt, mustard, lime juice and pepper in the bowl, then fold in the crab gently. Refrigerate while preparing the fruit.
  2. Peel and segment grapefruit over a small bowl, removing membranes and keeping the segments separate from their loose juice. Slice avocado just before serving.
  3. Divide arugula, grapefruit segments, avocado and crab mixture between two plates. Put four crispbread sheets beside each plate.
  4. Add small amounts of the chilled toppings to the crispbread as you eat. If preparing for later, pack each wet component separately, cover and refrigerate promptly; keep crispbread dry.

Open only what you can chill

Plan the meal before opening the cans. A small refrigerator should have room for the dressed crab before you prepare it, even when the original cans were shelf-stable.

A useful detail

Use the drained weight to judge how many small cans you need. A can’s gross weight includes packing liquid and does not necessarily equal the amount of crab in the recipe.

Another way

  • Replace crab with drained canned salmon at the same weight, checking for bones; this changes the allergen information.
  • Use orange segments instead of grapefruit at the same prepared weight.

Keep it well

Refrigerate dressed crab promptly at 40°F/4°C or below and use within 24 hours or the crab package’s shorter limit. Keep cut fruit and avocado chilled and use within 1 day for best texture. Carry perishables with two cold sources, and keep crispbread separate and dry. Discard perishable food left beyond 2 hours at room temperature, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C.

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