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History
Crab Louie was on San Francisco menus by the early 1910s: Victor Hirtzler's 1910 St Francis Hotel cookbook gave a Crabmeat a la Louise; Clarence Edwords printed Solari's recipe in his 1914 Bohemian San Francisco. Tadich Grill, the oldest continuously operating restaurant in California (founded 1849), has served Dungeness Louie for over a century; Sam's Grill on Bush Street and Swan Oyster Depot on Polk Street still serve the canonical version with locally landed Dungeness from November through May.
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Common allergens: Crustaceans, Egg, Dairy
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 300g cold-cracked Dungeness crab meat (a mix of leg and body)
- 1 small head iceberg lettuce, cored and quartered
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, halved
- 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 8 asparagus spears, blanched 90 seconds and shocked
- 1 small avocado, sliced
- 8 black olives
- For the Louie dressing: 150ml mayonnaise, 3 tablespoons ketchup, 2 tablespoons chilli sauce, 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire, juice of half a lemon, 2 finely chopped spring onions, 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley, salt and black pepper
- Lemon wedges, to serve
Method
- Whisk all the dressing ingredients in a bowl. Chill at least 30 minutes for the flavours to settle.
- Lay iceberg quarters on two chilled plates.
- Arrange the asparagus spears, tomato halves, egg halves, avocado slices and olives around the lettuce.
- Pile the cold crab in the centre of each plate.
- Spoon the dressing generously over the crab, letting it drip onto the lettuce and tomato.
- Season with cracked black pepper. Serve with lemon wedges and a fork and knife.
Tip from the editors. Buy whole cold-cracked crab from a counter and pick the meat yourself; pre-picked supermarket meat is wet and bland. The legs are sweet, the body meat is richer; mix them.
Where to eat crab louie salad
Crab Louie salad in San Francisco
Tadich Grill ★ 4.3
Tadich Grill in San Francisco is California's oldest continuously running restaurant, opened in 1849 in the Financial District, still grilling over mesquite.
OrderSand dabs grilled over mesquite, or the Hangtown Fry at lunch.
TipNo reservations except for parties of six or more; lunch counter seats turn over fastest.
Swan Oyster Depot ★ 4.7
Swan Oyster Depot in San Francisco is a Polk Street counter that has served cold-house Dungeness, oysters and clam chowder since 1912 in 18 stools.
OrderCrab Louie and a half-dozen Marin Miyagis on the half shell.
TipOpen 10:30-17:00 only; queue forms at 09:45 on a weekend, takes an hour at peak.
Sam's Grill ★ 4.2
Sam's Grill in San Francisco is the Financial District chophouse running since 1867, with sand dabs, mahogany booths and a midday lunch tradition.
OrderSand dabs with brown butter and lemon, the room's standard since 1867.
TipBook one of the private booths upstairs at lunch; the lower-floor dining room turns louder after 12:30.
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