How To Make Lettuce Wraps – With Crab
How To Make Lettuce Wraps
When the thought “how to make lettuce wraps” pops into my head, I always think “what a great idea”! I liken lettuce wraps to summer rolls, but one tiny notch better. With lettuce as the vehicle, there is more room made for the filling. I am not one to hem and haw over calories, but at 7 calories per cup, you can have a lot of wrappers pretty much guilt free. It is almost a free food. If we then stuff it with something tasty and not so calorific, we can have a great meal and be very happy! Lots of lettuce wrap recipes call for chicken, but I think crab makes for a great filling!
How To Make Lettuce Wraps -The Crab
When it comes to the crab, you can use just about any cooked crab you can find. If you happen to have some leftover king crab (I know, this is rare because it always is finished), it really makes for great lettuce wraps. BTW, king crab is also great in crab rolls and crab spread! As with any crab, just make sure it is picked through so there are no cartilage pieces in it.
How To Make Lettuce Wraps with Crab – The Lettuce
The lettuce stands as a good vehicle and it is important to choose the right one. A good Bibb or Boston lettuce works best because the leaves are, well, floppy and easier to roll. Iceburg lettuce is too crisp and will break when you try and wrap it. As far as flavors go, I think the Boston are slightly more flavorful. Not that lettuces are that flavorful to begin with. If I am serving this as a meal, I simply wash the whole head of lettuce, drain it well, and place it in the middle of the table. Diners can pick the leaves right off the head and make their own wraps.
How To Make Lettuce Wraps with Crab – The Flavors
With crab there are tons of things that can be added that keep the dish light and still bring incredible flavor. We can also add ingredients to the dish that help keep the wraps close to their Thai roots. Two ingredients that will do this are fresh mint and cilantro. Of course, Thai basil could also be used. The crab is delicious with these herbs and their mixture together works well.
How To Make Lettuce Wraps with Crab – The Extras
We would be missing out if we only added herbs. We also want to add ingredients that will help bring out the sweetness and other flavors in the crab. Two ingredients that I think do this are fresh mango and sweet onion. The mango has a bit of sweet and tart. The tartness really helps bring out the crab’s sweetness. The sweet onion gives more sweetness and a little flavor burst as you crunch into it. A final addition is avocado. Avocado’s nutty, creaminess is always welcome! The avocado brings a little richness to the dish without competing with all that crab goodness. I keep the avocado separate to be added as a separate topping in the wraps.
How To Make Lettuce Wraps with Crab – The Dressing.
To keep it even more Thai, a fish sauce based dipping sauce or dressing is perfect. The saltiness of the fish sauce enhances the crab and mango! A dash of sriracha brings a nice zing to the whole experience. The dressing also brings classic flavors with the addition of lime, garlic and fresh ginger. This is a great dressing which can either be spooned over the wrap before wrapping or the lettuce wraps can be wrapped up and then dipped. I find it can be a little tricky to dip the lettuce so I like to spoon it on.
How To Make Lettuce Wraps with Crab – Endive Instead.
Another idea is to forgo the lettuce and spoon the crab into endive leaves. The endive is a bit bitter which lends a nice contrast to the crab, mango and herbs. It can also be a little less messy to eat! This would be a great way to serve this dish at a party. It makes it just a bit more nibble friendly.
The video below shows you all the steps needed to make Lettuce wraps with crab. The full recipe follows.
- 1 head of Bibb or Boston Lettuce
- 1 small sweet onion
- 1/4-1/2 lb fresh mango flesh - about 1 mango
- 1/4 oz of fresh cilantro (about 1 tbsp chopped cilantro)
- 1/4 oz of fresh mint (about 1 tbsp chopped mint)
- 1 avocado
- 1 lb of cooked king crab meat or other lump crab
- 1 lime
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 one inch piece of fresh ginger
- 3/4 cup of fish sauce
- 2 tsp of sugar
- 2 tsp of sriracha or hot sauce (like Tobasco)
- salt and pepper
- Wash the lettuce head well and let sit to drain. The leaves can be pulled apart or left on the head.
- Peel and finely dice the sweet onion.
- Chop the mango into a small dice.
- Wash, dry, and finely chop the cilantro. Do the same with the mint.
- Peel and slice the avocado. Set aside the slices for serving.
- Pick through the crab to make sure there are no cartilage bits.
- In a large bowl, mix the crab, onion and mango. Mix well. Add the cilantro and mint in a 1:1 ratio to taste. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Set in the refrigerator to chill.
- Cut the lime in half.
- Finely chop the garlic.
- With a rasp, grate the ginger.
- In a medium bowl, squeeze the lime. Add the garlic, ginger, fish sauce and sugar. Add the sriracha to taste. Whisk well. Adjust the flavor with more lime, fish sauce, sugar and/or sriracha.
- Lay a whole leaf of lettuce on a plate, spoon in some of the crab mixture, drizzle on some of the dressing. Wrap the lettuce around the filling and enjoy!
- Serve the lettuce and crab mixture cold.
- For a fun eating experience, let your guests create the wraps as they go at the table.
I hope you enjoy!
Keep Eating! Keep Innovating!
Do you know how to make lettuce wraps? Have you ever made them with crab? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook.
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