Crab Louie Lettuce Wraps

If you are looking for a light and refreshing appetizer that is easy to make and elegant to serve, try these mini crab louie appetizers! They are made with butter lettuce cups filled with creamy avocado, crunchy radishes, cucumber ribbons, snap peas, and succulent dungeness crab. They are topped with a simple and tangy crab louie dressing that can be made vegan if you prefer. These appetizers are gluten-free, low-carb, paleo, and dairy-free, and perfect for summer gatherings. You can make them ahead of time and refrigerate them until ready to serve. No cooking required!

Ingredients

• 1 head of butter lettuce (or 8 perfect leaves)
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1 Turkish cucumber, sliced or cut into thin ribbons (use a vegetable peeler)
• 3 radishes (watermelon radishes are pretty), sliced
• 8 ounces of dungeness crab (or substitute cooked shrimp, smoked salmon, or lox)
• Fresh dill or tarragon sprigs for garnish
• 1/2 cup of mayonnaise (or use vegan mayo)
• 1/4 cup of ketchup (or ketchup-based chili sauce like Heinz Chili Sauce)
• 1 teaspoon of sriracha (if using ketchup, more to taste)
• 1 teaspoon of horseradish
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. To make the dressing, whisk together the mayonnaise, ketchup, sriracha, horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Refrigerate until ready to use.
2. To assemble the appetizers, arrange the lettuce leaves on a large platter or individual plates. Top each leaf with some avocado slices, cucumber ribbons, radish slices, snap peas, and crab meat. Drizzle some dressing over each one and garnish with fresh herbs.
3. Enjoy right away or refrigerate until ready to serve. You can also serve the dressing on the side for dipping.

Tips

• You can add other ingredients to your mini crab louie appetizers, such as cherry tomatoes, asparagus tips, hard-boiled quail eggs (cut in half), etc.
• You can also serve this with a simple tarragon vinaigrette instead of the crab louie dressing if you prefer.
• If you can’t find dungeness crab, you can use any other type of crab meat or substitute with cooked shrimp, smoked salmon, or lox.