The best thing about imitation crab meat is that it is upfront with you from the very beginning. Imitation crab meat isn't trying to catfish you; it tells you right there, in the name, that it's an imposter. Of course, it can never actually live up to the real crab that it is impersonating, but it definitely has worth. If you have ever attempted homemade sushi or crab Rangoon, you'll know the importance of imitation crab meat, but have you ever wondered what is actually in it? In this video, we'll tell you what imitation crab meat is actually made of.
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00Considering it's got the word imitation in it, you really shouldn't be too shocked to
00:05find that imitation crab is far from the real thing.
00:08And yeah, that tightly packed red-and-white stuff you'll find displayed in the seafood
00:12section of the grocery store may resemble crab, but it's obviously not really made of
00:16crab at all.
00:17These are crabs!
00:18Fresh, local, Delaware runoff crabs!
00:19Those don't look anything like crabs!
00:20They look like sea scorpions!
00:26Here's the question, though.
00:27What is imitation crab meat made of, and more importantly, is it worth your money?
00:32Weirdly enough, while you won't find any crab meat in imitation crab, you will find seafood,
00:38because imitation crab is made up of a paste called surimi, which is basically processed,
00:43mashed up fish.
00:45Usually it's actually a combination of fish such as Alaskan pollock or Pacific whiting
00:49fish that have been put through a complicated manufacturing process and turned into a gel-like
00:54substance.
00:55Obviously, seafood paste doesn't exactly sound all that delicious, so in order to create
00:59the right taste and texture, manufacturers add in starches, sugars, artificial flavorings,
01:05and sometimes MSG.
01:07However, all these additives significantly decrease the nutritional value of imitation
01:11crab, and they can even include gluten, so it's best to stay away if you're sensitive
01:16to that.
01:17It's probably no surprise that restaurants love this stuff, because imitation crab serves
01:22as a low-cost alternative to the real thing.
01:24And that's where it first came from, too.
01:26Surimi was actually first created by Japanese chefs who were looking for a way to use their
01:31leftover fish.
01:33That creation eventually became the foundation of imitation crab, and since then, its popularity
01:38has only grown.
01:40But despite being good for restaurants on a budget, imitation crab meat comes with some
01:44fairly hefty drawbacks.
01:46For starters, real crab meat is just downright healthier than imitation crab, as it has more
01:51omega-3 fats, less sugar, and more protein, and vitamins such as B12 and zinc.
01:56When you dine on imitation crab meat, however, you will at least ingest less sodium than
02:01if you had a plate of the real thing in front of you, so that's a small bonus.
02:05Lower nutrients and higher sugar content aside, it's easy to see why imitation crab has become
02:10so popular.
02:11Nobody's going to argue that crab cakes aren't usually a little pricey in restaurants, and
02:16the imitation stuff works as a decent, quick option when you add it to a salad or serve
02:20it with dip.
02:21However, some ocean environmentalists say that this bargain seafood product has actually
02:26become a little too popular.
02:28In order to keep up with the demand and make enough imitation crab to go around, large
02:32amounts of pollock must be harvested, and this has some concerned about the potential
02:36for overfishing.
02:38Making sure the fish used for imitation crab has that appealing, crabby appearance also
02:42involves a lot of water to improve its color and the texture of the meat.
02:46This can lead to wastewater pollution if improperly discharged into the ocean.
02:51Of course, nobody's going to tell you not to enjoy a little imitation crab in your sushi
02:55or seafood salad.
02:56As long as you're okay with the fact that you're probably not consuming any crab at
03:00all, go for it, especially if you don't mind that it's not all that healthy, either.
03:04If you do opt for imitation crab meat over the real stuff, however, just make sure you're
03:09storing it properly, because while it does contain preservatives that help extend its
03:13shelf life, it still needs to be treated much the same way as normal fish.
03:18Most importantly, once it's been opened or thawed out, you'll have only around three
03:22to five days before it spoils completely.
03:25And don't worry, you'll know when that has happened.
03:28"...it's the smell.
03:30If there is such a thing, I feel saturated by it."
03:37In the end, if you're looking for crab that's real and authentic, you ought to know that
03:42the only crab you should be ordering is the one that comes straight from the sea, not
03:46spit out of a grinder at a manufacturing plant.