It is suitable for salads, sushi and spreads. Nowadays, we buy crab sticks quite regularly without thinking about what they are actually made of. And they are definitely not crabs…
On the packaging of the “crab sticks” we can also usually read that it is surimi. What does that actually mean? This Japanese term simply describes minced meat, i.e. a kind of paste that can be further flavored and adjusted. And that’s exactly how the bars we’re talking about are created.
Check out Mashed’s YouTube video to learn more about this phenomenon:
Source: Youtube
They are a long way from crab meat
If we wanted to enjoy real crab sticks, we should not want to buy them in the supermarket at an affordable price. However, in Central European conditions, we hardly come across a truly high-quality product of this type, we would have to travel far to the east. So what about the crab sticks that we throw in the basket among the other shopping items?
Lots of ingredients and crab nowhere…
Here’s the thing: Surimi sticks are made from the aforementioned paste and other ingredients. In addition to minced fish (not crab) meat, the paste itself also contains other ingredients – and there are quite a few of them. These include, for example, starch in a relatively large amount, egg white, which helps to maintain the overall shape of the final product, sugar and salt to enhance the taste, of course aromas and dyes, which make the stick red on the surface. It’s supposed to evoke a crab, right?
Cod is relatively cheap
If we wanted to ask for the type of fish that gives the sticks at least the appearance of a meat product, it will in most cases be Alaskan cod, which, as we know, is one of the cheapest sea fish on the market. If we had insisted on crabmeat, we would have had to prepare a much higher amount at the cash register. Although cheap fish meat is added to the sticks, it is definitely not their basis. After all, its average content is only around 25% of the weight of the finished dish.
They will neither harm nor benefit
When we evaluate all the pros and cons of crab sticks, we can state that although it is a food that can be added to the menu from time to time without major regrets, it will not be of great importance for the health of the body. Anyone who would like to profit from high-quality proteins and other substances supplied to the body by sea fish and fruits in general would have to turn to less processed and mainly “diluted” raw materials.
Will you try it at home?
After all, making an improvised surimi paste at home (if we don’t say it in Japan) is not that difficult. Finely ground fish meat can be seasoned to your liking and with a minimum of other added ingredients we can also prepare the sticks. Then just fry or steam them – and you’re done.
Sources: www.vimcojim.cz, www.healthline.com, www.webstaurantstore.com
