A creamy, delicious corn salad with imitation crab meat, tobiko and Kewpie mayo. This quick, easy and simple Japanese crab corn salad is ready in 5 minutes with minimal ingredients! A great side dish or appetizer for the family to enjoy!
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Japanese Crab Corn Salad is a chilled creamy salad packed with corn, imitation crab meat, kewpie mayo and sweet tobiko (or flying fish roe).
The creamy sweet corn with the chewy imitation crab meat and the crunchy pops from the tobiko is such a heavenly combination! It's tangy, sweet and savory with so many addictive textures.
Select Japanese restaurants will serve a variation of this corn salad with or without the imitation crab meat.
The best part about this Japanese salad recipe is that it's so easy to make at home in little time with very simple ingredients. It's also a great way to add seafood to your diet.
I created this Japanese salad recipe in 2021 because I noticed it was missing from the internet and I had to fill that void! I hope you enjoy it.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Corn Niblets: to make it easier, use canned corn niblets. Or substitute with frozen corn that has been boiled, strained, cooled down with cold water and strained again. Or substitute with boiled ears of corn, then rinse off with cold water to cool them down, and remove the corn niblets with a sharp knife. The latter is for best taste but it will take longer.
- Imitation Crab Meat: or substitute with cooked crab meat but I do recommend the first for a sweeter taste. Cooked crab meat has a stronger fishy taste. You can find this ingredient at most Asian and Western grocery stores in the seafood section.
- Japanese mayo (aka Kewpie mayo): a creamy Japanese-style mayonnaise made of egg yolks instead of using whole eggs like in regular mayo. As a last resort, substitute with regular mayo that is thick and creamy.
- Flying Fish Roe (aka Tobiko): a sweet fish roe that bright orange and they're tiny little fish eggs from flying fish. It's sold fresh or frozen at most Asian grocery stores in the seafood section. Or substitute with Ikura, which are larger bright orange salmon caviar.
Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients or check online stores, like Amazon.
Expert Tips
- Make sure to buy flying fish roe (or Tobiko) as there are many types of fish roe available. These are very tiny and are bright orange in color. They're probably the most popular kind at the Asian grocer.
- Refrigerate the canned corn the night before so it's cold for the salad.
- Make sure to strain out as much excess liquid in the canned corn.
- Use Japanese mayo over normal mayo for the most creamy taste.
- If needed, thaw the frozen tobiko sweet fish and the imitation crab meat in the fridge the night before.
- If you want the very best Japanese corn salad, substitute the canned corn with ears of sweet corn on the cob that has been boiled, strained and rinsed with cold water. Then remove the corn niblets with a knife, discarding the cobs.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make Japanese crab corn salad:
- Open the canned corn with a can opener and strain the corn using a fine sieve to remove as much liquid as possible. Transfer the corn niblets to a large mixing bowl.
- Chop imitation crab into 1-inch long pieces and add it to the corn. Mix well with a spatula.
- Then mix in Japanese mayonnaise and flying fish roe into the corn mixture. Enjoy immediately or chill in the fridge for 1 hour until it's cold.
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 3 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Freezer-friendly? I don't recommend freezing this corn salad because the freezer will change the texture of the corn and tobiko.
Pairing Suggestions
Japanese crab corn salad serves well with:
- starters like miso soup, or salad with Japanese ginger salad dressing or korokke.
- seafood dishes like shrimp tempura, panko shrimp or ebi mayo.
- protein dishes like ramen eggs, chicken katsu or tonkatsu, karaage, teriyaki tofu, teriyaki Chicken, or ginger miso salmon.
- rice dishes like oyakodon, omurice, or katsudon.
- other noodle dishes like ramen, yaki udon, creamy mushroom udon, or udon carbonara.
- rice balls like shrimp tempura rice ball, tuna onigiri or spicy tuna onigiri
FAQ
Japanese crab corn salad can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. There's no need to reheat as the salad is enjoyed cold.
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📖 Recipe
Easy 5-min. Japanese Crab Corn Salad
Ingredients
- 12 fl oz. canned corn niblets
- ½ cup imitation crab meat thawed if frozen
- ⅓ cup Japanese mayo or regular mayo, add more as needed
- 1.5 tablespoon flying fish roe aka tobiko, thaw if frozen
Instructions
- Open the canned corn with a can opener and strain the corn using a fine sieve to remove as much liquid as possible. Transfer the corn niblets to a large mixing bowl.
- Chop imitation crab into 1-inch long pieces and add it to the corn. Mix well with a spatula.
- Then mix in Japanese mayonnaise and flying fish roe into the corn mixture. Enjoy immediately or chill in the fridge for 1 hour until it's cold.
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
This really is the ultimate side dish recipe you've created. It's such a fun way to elevate the flavors of regular corn!