Imitation Crab Meat
 

I love imitation crab meat. I don't know why. I know other people (my wife for example) are repulsed by it.

What about you?

-Mikey

well, if it tastes anything like normal crab meat then I'm there! :)

Imitation crab meat is the best! It's like crab, but without the hassle of the shell! It taste great (not exaclty crab, but still good...like Applejacks...). I buy it by the pound at the grocery store and cover it in tartar sauce...yum!

bleh, I'll eat it it if I'm served it, but I won't order it or buy it. It sure doesn't compare to real crab, not even close...IMHO

I dont like imitation crab meat.

never heard of it, but i'm not into sea food

I had imitation crab meat when I was on a flight once and it was alright. I prefer real crab over the fake though.

it's called krab .. hehe
I dont mind it

try it out with Miracle Whip, salt, ground pepper & some paprika.
makes a great seafood salad.

i'm skeptical about any imitation meat, i mean, whats it really made of? fake crabs?

im pretty sure it is made from some other sea creature; i am a real big sea food eater and i like the real thing much much better

It's ok I guess. Not really all that much like crab though. It's very easy to tell the difference, and not just by taste. Real crab isn't formed from rolled fish...

What I object to is the practice by almost everyone of selling it as real crab. Had this come up a while ago at a rest. that was selling a seafood burrito with crab and shrimp. Turned out to be fake crab, and I got my meal free. Chinese places do this routinely as well with their crab rangoon. To me this is fraudulent, but everyone seems to do it.

I believe it's made from cheap fish like pollock. Some I like, others have a really strong unpleasant flavor.

I've noticed this as well. It's highly annoying for those who prefer 'the real thing'. Better to just not order it, imo.

eh... it's okay... i'll eat it if it's there but I won't go out of my way to eat it.

the kind my mom and sister eat is like made of fish, they like it, its weird so i dont eat it. it's fish with like crab seasonings

um.......... imitation crab meat?

personally i've never had it, but i cant say i agree with imitation anything, espeeecially when it comes to meat

Yeah, Wal-Mart sells it as Imitation Krab Meat, $1.98/lb.

-Mikey

crab salad is awesome, and the imitation crab makes it cheaper... so its all good.

How imitation crab meat is made

Interesting reading.

-Mikey

It is only OK if it is a minor ingredient in a recipe. A seafood salad that is basically that roll of imitation crab and mayo is not worth the calories.

It's too sweet. Meat isn't supposed to be sweet. That is all.

http://www.carbery.com/images/datash...rimi-front.jpg

how surimi is made.....
http://www.gale-edit.com/products/volumes/crab_meat.htm

Agreed. The cafeteria in my office building also sells a rollup made with "crab". Fake of course, but when you point this out, they just shrug. Weird how many places do this, considering that it's not what they advertise.

I'm allergic to crab, shrimp and lobster. Problem is...I love all of the above. I love all seafood for that matter. This may be a reasonable substitute. What exactly <b>is</b> it made of? I might try it.

gross, i hate it

Here's what I found:
"Imitation crab meat is a seafood product made by blending processed fish (pollock), known as surimi, with various texturizing ingredients, flavorants, and colorants. First invented in the mid-1970s, imitation crab meat has become a popular food in the United States, with annual sales of over $250 million. Surimi is the primary ingredient used to create imitation crab meat. It is mostly composed of fish myofibrillar proteins. These proteins are responsible for the quintessential characteristic of surimi that makes imitation crab meat manufacture possible, namely the ability to form a sturdy gel. The gel can be shaped and cut into thin strips which, when rolled together, mimic the texture of real crab meat."
Here's the link:
http://www.gale-edit.com/products/volumes/crab_meat.htm
sounds yummy

O...Yum...My mouth is watering already. :rolleyes: O.K., be carefull what you ask for...you might just get it. Anyone know if this <i>stuff</i> at least <b>tastes</b> like crab meat. (or real food, at least)

It's not quite as light and tender and flaky as real crab, but I think it can be just as good in it's own way.

The description of what it is and how it's made is pretty scary. I think it's funny that the same link has been posted three times now :)

-Mikey

Yep, I guess it pays to read the posts a bit more carefully. oh well, let's see if it happens a fourth time:)

I would have to buy imitation crab. I just walk to the dock and throw my trap in the water.

Thanks dimbulb i always wondered what was in it. But i´ll have the fresh and real live-cooked crab over the surimi any day....!

A lot of food uses imitation crab meat. One example is california rolls.

I like actual big prawns and shrimps better and oh! oh! the crab festivals are coming in next month, but imitation crab is good when fried on the pan or used in sushi (wrap it in makis). Real california rolls don't have crab or imitation in them, tho, but you can make a great maki with them, sure.

I used to like it, but now it just tastes too salty. The artificial color is a big turn off for me too.

OK, there is an issue of prioritization here.

Imitation crab meat is a good subsititute when you are looking to cut costs or when crab is out of season. It doesn't compare to fresh crab, especially fresh local dungeness crab.

Still if you treat it as a different variety of crab or a different seafood item entirely, it works well.

I like it. I just don't expect it to be real crab.

imitation crab is too sweet compared to real crab meat...

Most made from Pollock, a soft white fish abundant in the Pasific and other "stuff"...Does not come close to real crab meat, I have somtimes used it as a filler in a cold seafood salad with other real seafood.

man... if you grew up in maryland, eating real crabmeat for 20 something years of your life, and someone gave you imitation crabmeat... PURE CRAP!!! :)

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Rich