Imitation Crab Meat

 
  I don't know why people are down on this stuff so much.  That tray cost me $2.39.  I heated it up in a skillet with the butter and the Old Bay.  It was delicious!!
Did it taste like crab meat?  No
Did I pretend it was crabmeat?  No
But it was one tasty plate of seafood.  Sweet and succulent!
  I also like it as a salad, tossed with a little mayo based dressing.  I have been known to put some in a bowl, sprinkle with a little tamari and go at it with my chopsticks.
  Those of you who think I'm crazy should know that I also like canned asparagus.
 

With you 100% ChrisOC.
 
The only reason I'm down on imitation crab (and lobster, etc) is after buying it for several years to make ersatz lobster rolls and crab salad sandwiches, I happened to read the ingredients again and all of a sudden, they listed "other natural crab flavors".
 
While I was angry because we keep kosher at home, I also thought of people with allergies to shellfish.  I called Louis Kemp and they said the ingredient was "less than 2% crab and crab flavor."  I asked them about food allergies and they just kind of said they hadn't thought of that.
 
All packages I see now, regardless of brand say "less than 2% crab.
 
Now more fake lobster rolls for us at home.

I have had the fake crab before but occasionally Krogers has the fake lobster which in my opinion is much better.
 
Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

The sugar content is my concern.
 
Good thing my mother doesn't keep Kosher because she lives on the stuff.  She adds it to soups and salads.

What I buy at SuperFresh is a lot less expensive than Lois Kemp.  I believe it is called Sea Delight.  It is not vacuum packed, so I buy it the day I am going to consume it.  It is basically pollack.   I have used the Luis Kemp Imitation lobster to make lobster newburg.  The flavor of the sauce masked most of the discrepancies in the flavor.

We have used the Louis Kemp brand to make stuffed portabellas. I can't think of anything else I'd want to use it in. 

I can live with the fake crab meat, but canned asparagus?  Geesh!
 
Buddy

Called surimi, its the cheap bologna of the fish and seafood world.  The emulsion is held together with  transglutaminases or what some call meat glue.  I've been in a few factories that make the stuff, and can say its pretty much like seeing hot dogs or bologna being made for the first time.  Everything but the kitchen sink goes into it.  If you buy a high quality brand its not bad stuff, but oh if you buy the cheap stuff...well I'll just say buy the more expensive.  

I use the Louis Kemp all the time. Actual crab is prohibitively expensive here, even canned (blech). I think the last time I looked at canned, it was 8 ounces for $7 or $8. The fake stuff goes on sale 5/$5 (8 ounce) pretty regularly. People don't like it because it's cool to be down on something if you live somewhere that the real thing it replaces is easy to come by. Or because they think it makes them cool some other way. Like the people who refuse to eat canned soup, or who constantly go out of their way to say rude things about fast food restaurants and the people who, *gasp*, dare to eat there.
 
As for the canned asparagus...I won't eat it, but I also won't tell you that you shouldn't.

RodBangkok


Called surimi, its the cheap bologna of the fish and seafood world.  The emulsion is held together with  transglutaminases or what some call meat glue.  I've been in a few factories that make the stuff, and can say its pretty much like seeing hot dogs or bologna being made for the first time.  Everything but the kitchen sink goes into it.  If you buy a high quality brand its not bad stuff, but oh if you buy the cheap stuff...well I'll just say buy the more expensive.  

 
The stuff that I buy is not crab sticks.  It is chunks of pollock that flake apart when you cook it.

BuddyRoadhouse


I can live with the fake crab meat, but canned asparagus?  Geesh!

Buddy

You just have to realize that canned asparagus and fresh are two different vegetables, like canned and fresh tomatoes. Both are good for different uses.

I would be the first to admitt that canned asparagus is nothing like fresh asparagus.  That is why when I want a vegetable side dish I will steam fresh.  But sometimes I will take some canned asparagus, put it cold on a bed of Romaine, top it with a dab of mayo, add some salt and pepper and voila...a nice refreshing summer salad!

ChrisOC

RodBangkok


Called surimi, its the cheap bologna of the fish and seafood world.  The emulsion is held together with  transglutaminases or what some call meat glue.  I've been in a few factories that make the stuff, and can say its pretty much like seeing hot dogs or bologna being made for the first time.  Everything but the kitchen sink goes into it.  If you buy a high quality brand its not bad stuff, but oh if you buy the cheap stuff...well I'll just say buy the more expensive.  

The stuff that I buy is not crab sticks.  It is chunks of pollock that flake apart when you cook it.

Same here. Recognizable sections of fish. But like you said...I don't try to pretend it's really crab, nor do I think it's going to taste like it is.

I eat "krab" pretty much on a regular basis. The only reason I do is Old Bay seasoning. Makes it pretty darn good. My family swears by my "krab" salad-they have no idea its not real, and dont know my secret ingerdient.

I am one of the few people on earth that gasp! likes turkey bacon as long as it's crispy. I don't compare it to bacon....I think it is a nice salty turkey product.

I can eat the krab...cold.

I don't compare it to fresh seafood, and even at that, it just tastes horrible to me and I can't get around the taste and the texture.  I wish I could, since it would be nice to have a less expensive alternative to crab.

I am allergic to crab; the first time I had it, my face puffed out to twice its normal size. I have no reaction to krab, so I eat it. I have tried it in cooked dishes, but find it comes out a little mushy, so I use it exclusively in salads. I'm going to have to try making a krab salad with Old Bay, though.
 
Bart

Years ago a group from our office used to eat at a salad bar, where crab salad was served, I asked for the recipe and was told - combine imitation crabmeat, choppped green onions, a heaping tablespoon of sour cream, mayonnaise, salt and pepper, make ahead and serve cold, which I've always liked. 
 
I never tried to make it, but there's a local grocery that makes and sells a Cajun crab dip, which I think is just imitation crabmeat, cream cheese, and Creole seasoning. 

for the crab salad, I forget to add sliced celery.

I'm down on fake crab meat because I prefer not to eat  fake anything. Engineered food stuffs don't appeal to me...also I got  ticked early on when a menu would say crab and the dish would have fake crab. I always ask the server and frankly some of them wouldn't know real crab in the first place.
 
I like your comment about not pretending it was crabmeat. We have friends who make lasagna with kielbasa and cheddar cheese...as long as no one mentions the word lasagna it tastes good.