Imitation Crab (surimi/kamaboku/krab/crab product)

[Shel_B]

A few weeks ago I hit the big Asian market in my area, and with plenty of time to look around and shop, I found things I ordinarily don't look for. I found a couple of types of frozen, imitation crab by some different producers. I chose the one with an ingredient list that was most acceptable to me.

I had some in a salad this morning for breakfast, and was a little disappointed by the dryness of the "krab" pieces. That brought up a few questions:

Are most brands pretty similar in their ingredient list, or are there some that are outstanding in some way?

Is there some way of knowing, by the ingredient list, if the product will be dry or moist?

From what I gathered, the ingredients aren't too bad for a processed food, but I couldn't help but wonder if I'm missing something. While it ain't health food, is there anything of a "bad" nature I should be aware of, both in the ingredients and the processing process? All the videos I watched made it seem that this stuff is just fine and dandy.

Any comments you have on this product would be welcome. How do you use it?

[FeChef]

Well, I can tell you this...On some packages it clearly says "do not freeze" That said I only buy louis kemp brand.

[Unpopular Poet]

I think Alan Partridge said it best: "Crabsticks do not actually contain any crab and, since 1993, manufacturers have been legally obliged to call them crab-flavoured sticks"

I know that the only times I have used them have been in a "Crab Rangoon" situation, instead of the real thing because of someone's slight allergy. Mixed with cream cheese, Deep fried and dipped in sauce, it was fine, but my overall belief is that they are inherently unnatural, and somewhat vile -- there is that undertone of rotten fish to them I can never get over...perhaps I have eaten the wrong ones.

[annabelle]

I like surimi, but you have to be careful about where it comes from.

Don't buy surimi at the Asian markets, is my advice. Buy the Alaskan surimi that is made of Alaskan Pollack, scallops and crab and shaped into krab sticks and flakes. I use it in the summertime to make seafood salads.

Naturally, it doesn't taste anything like crab, but it isn't advertising itself as crab either. It has a nice ocean-y flavor to it that is refreshing and not as aggressive as tuna fish.

[Shelby]

I agree with Annabelle. Skip getting it at the Asian market.

I love using it on top of salad. I also use it in seafood enchiladas.

[annabelle]

Me too, Shelby. We like it as a nice change of pace when we get those stretches of 100+ degree days in high summer.

I'll have to make some enchiladas with it, now!

[Shel_B]

Well, I can tell you this...On some packages it clearly says "do not freeze" That said I only buy louis kemp brand.

The package I got was in the frozen section, and, after reading your post, I checked to see it the pkg said not to freeze. It didn't.

Why Louis Kemp?

[Shel_B]

Don't buy surimi at the Asian markets, is my advice. Buy the Alaskan surimi that is made of Alaskan Pollack, scallops and crab and shaped into krab sticks and flakes. I use it in the summertime to make seafood salads.

The stuff I bought contained Pollack as the first ingredient followed by Bream. The ingredient list looked a bit better than the other pkgs, but I'll look for an even better quality. Thanks!

[Shel_B]

I also use it in seafood enchiladas.

That's a great idea, and it gives me some additional ideas as well. Thanks!

Edited November 21, 2013 by Shel_B (log)

[FeChef]

Well, I can tell you this...On some packages it clearly says "do not freeze" That said I only buy louis kemp brand.

The package I got was in the frozen section, and, after reading your post, I checked to see it the pkg said not to freeze. It didn't.

Why Louis Kemp?

I find louis kemp to be far better quality/taste then any other brands ive tried. Im picky about paying $6/lb for fake crab meat when i can sometimes get real lump crabmeat for $9/lb. I have bought frozen before and noticed when thawed it was dry and somewhat freezer burned. Even louis kemp has on the label for best quality do not freeze, and most other brands that are frozen will say on the label do not refreeze. In my experience imatation crab is a product that doesnt freeze well. Sure its safe to eat, but not the best taste/texture. Its already bad enough its fake and doesnt even come close to real crab, then you go and freeze it. this site needs a facepalm smiley.

[rotuts]

I haven't used this in a while. the kind ive gotten came from japan. FZ. I used a slow thaw in the refrigerator. I gave it a sl sqeeze to get some of the moisture out.

ive used this for a dip with FZ Welch Rarebit. stouffers. you need a very sturdy rigged chip. gets gobbled up faster than I can make it.

I also use it for Fake Crab cakes, and fake crab salad sandwiches. its fine for me.

[ruthcooks]

I don't eat fake ANYTHING, unless I'm unaware of its being fake.

[annabelle]

Well, it's made of fish and crab and it says "Krab" on the package, so that's a tip-off right there.

[Shel_B]

Why Louis Kemp?

I find louis kemp to be far better quality/taste then any other brands ive tried. Im picky about paying $6/lb for fake crab meat when i can sometimes get real lump crabmeat for $9/lb. I have bought frozen before and noticed when thawed it was dry and somewhat freezer burned. Even louis kemp has on the label for best quality do not freeze, and most other brands that are frozen will say on the label do not refreeze. In my experience imatation crab is a product that doesnt freeze well. Sure its safe to eat, but not the best taste/texture. Its already bad enough its fake and doesnt even come close to real crab, then you go and freeze it. this site needs a facepalm smiley.

Thanks so much for your comments. Here's your smiley:

Edited November 21, 2013 by Shel_B (log)

[rotuts]

just to add a dash ...

these are the Rx's from '85 that I used to use, and always lost or misplaced, then re-found at the Library over and over again:

http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/1954/chris-frenchs-eastern-shore-crab-cakes.html

The Cakes

http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/1955/tartar-sauce.html

The T. Sauce:

http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/1955/tartar-sauce.html

NB from Mayo that was Best Foods or Hellman's, depending on the Coast.

A Fire Storm erupted in in the NYT re CornFlakes:

http://www.nytimes.com/1985/03/17/magazine/l-crab-cakes-and-crushed-saltines-092815.html

The CF and the Saltines ( non-salted ) must be very fresh.

Just Sub Crab-ish for the real crab.

Love them both with CF and Saltines.

Isn't the Internet Great ! Thanks Al !

[boudin noir]

I think you have to forget that it is not crab or lobster and deal with it as a unique substance. If I want crab or lobster that is what I will buy. It's less bad than many processed foods, and I find it to have a pleasantly mild seafood taste. It works for me in salads. Does it work elseware?

[heidih]

I grew up with this stuff in the 60's !!!  Neighbor's husband was Japanese. A childhood memory and maybe why I  still like surimi in general. Any other Westerners have a memory or cooking use?. I generally use it in a salad prep.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamaboko

[CatIsHungry]

Oh yeah ... I used to eat those ... not really Western but sort of (mom’s Korean) - so - we sort of grouped it all under the ‘eomuk’ category - eomuk - odeng - kamaboku -  whatever - we put it in soups - fried it - whatever 🤷🏻‍♀️ Man I loved that stuff *sigh* loved loved loved it ❤️❤️❤️ 

 

When I first moved out on my own - I made soup and I swear I put more eomuk  in my soup than I put soup 😂

[heidih]

I do not like pink anything but this was the highlight for me of their annual Christmas party for me. It seemed so exotic and yet accessible. 

Edited November 21, 2019 by heidih (log)

[CatIsHungry]

For us, it was not a special occasion dish -    we didn’t have it every day, but we had it often enough in a variety of ways ... any way we had it was my favorite 😁 😂 

[chromedome]

I was an adult when I first encountered it - Japanese was not a "thing" in 1970s Nova Scotia or Newfoundland - and truthfully, my immediate impression was "fish bologna."

[CatIsHungry]

🤣 I think I will leave the “fish bologna” description” out next time I serve it to Mr Cat and Cat Son 😂 apt though it may be 😁 

 

Growing up, I remember my mom and her friends getting together sometimes and making various eomuk together ... (they’d do this sometimes - make Romulo - or rice cake or mochi blah blah blah - they’d always want my mom there because she was a much better cook - other times she’d show up with the ingredients and just tell them how to do it best while she watched 😂 ) 

[Kim Shook]

I don't know who will remember Doddie - @Domestic Goddess.  She hasn't visited in almost 10 years.  She did a wonderful food blog back in 2007.  She is Filipino and was living in S. Korea.  I got a recipe from her almost exactly 10 years ago for Ham & Crab Salad.  In my list of ingredients I have listed "fake crab" - what I call Krab or surimi.  I always saw it as a cheat - a guilty pleasure.  I ate it as a poor college student when I wanted shrimp or crab.  I discovered on my own that it made a very good "Krab" Louie.  I remember Doddie saying that it was very popular in Asia and that I should think of it not as fake crab, but as @heidih said on the Dinner thread "its own thing".  

 

I put it in a bisque last night and it was fine, but probably not it's best use - it is so mild that the flavor kind of gets lost if it is in something too complicated.  I think it works best cold and in salad-type applications.  I'd love to hear what others do with this.  Listen, if Spam can have it's own thread, surely surimi can😁!  One suggestion, though - I had no idea what kamaboku meant and probably wouldn't have come to this topic without your post in the dinner thread, @heidih.  And, seeing @CatIsHungry's post, it seems that there are other names for it, as well.  Could the name of the thread be changed to include the other names, maybe.  We might get a bigger response that way.  

[CatIsHungry]

I noticed I neglected to answer @heidih question for uses - and really the only thing I’ve ever used it in is Korean food - a large variety of soups (I would even try to persuade my mom to put it in seaweed soup ha! - she’d just roll her eyes and tell me it would ruin the healing properties of it and stop it 😂 - but I swear seaweed soup would cure what ailed ) ... Okay, from a huge variety of soups (even it’s own eomuk  soup) to Kim-bap (if it’s not in Kim-bap  - it’s not Kim-bap 😉)  ... 

 

As much as I love the stuff, weirdly - I never used it in other foods 🤷🏻‍♀️

 

I read the the forums for a long time before so actually joined - read a lot of archived posts, etc and I remember reading @Domestic Goddess posts - she was one of the reasons I was excited about joining here - I did t realize until later her posts were from long time ago 😔 but she is right @Kim Shook - it is it’s own thing. 

 

You know, IMO - every “thing” is / has the potential to be an ingredient - it really doesn’t matter what it is - doesn’t matter if it’s fresh or ultra processed and we shouldn’t be shamed or embarrassed out of using it (dang - except balut- just - *shudder* yikes 😲 😉) ... we use what we can use - we like what we like ... food shamers can suck it 😉😉

[Duvel]

It definitely deserves its own thread! 

 

I do miss surimi products a lot since coming back from Asia to Germany. Technically, surimi in Japanese refers to the groud paste of fish with seasoning (salt, sugar, mirin, sake, MSG) and binder (potato starch). It is then formed and cooked, either boiled (hanpen and others), steamed (kamaboko and others) or fried (satsuma age and others).

 

Now, with the winter coming I am craving hot oden soup with satsuma age, daikon and eggs ... I prepared some satsuma age varieties two weeks ago and will use them up in the next weeks in homemade oden 🤗