Crab meats or sometimes called crab sticks, are most commonly used in a sushi roll. It can also be added to a wide range of dishes because of its crab-like texture and taste, such as crab soups and other soup combinations, and additionally, it costs way less than the real thing.
How to cook imitation crab is one of the secret formulae of processed seafood, usually made from finely grinding or pounded white fish meat or ‘surimi’ in Japanese.
Ready all your kitchen tools because this article will share with you some of the easiest and exciting ways to cook imitation crab meat.
What is Imitation Crab meat?
Before we go, let’s define what exactly Imitation Crab meat is?
As mentioned earlier, crab sticks are made from the flesh or meat of a fish called surimi, a common fish found in Japan. Surimi resembles the texture and the taste of real crab meat. It is commonly used in various dishes such as chowder, salads, and of course, sushi. The good thing about crab meats is you can purchase them from your local market at a very low price.
Some people may include seafood as an everyday dish, and some of them may not like fish and may get allergies. In this modern time, seafood is easy to cook at homes like oysters, lobsters, prawns, squid, and of course, crabs.
Is it safe to consume even if it’s an ‘imitation’?
Imitation crab meats offer delicious taste and valuable and essential nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids and protein, which are great alternatives for other expensive meats such as beef, pork, and lambs. These foods are also consumed by the people who work on building muscles density and improving their strength.
Seafood like imitation crab can have both good and bad sides. Crab stick can be perfect if you’re on a diet mainly because it contains fewer calories and fats than the real crab meat and helps you control your weight.
Did you know that each 3-ounces of imitation crab meat can contain 81-calories, 17 mg of cholesterol, and a little than 1g of fat? This food is an ideal choice for a low-cholesterol diet. However, the bad side of imitation crab meat lies in the amount of salt used to make this, as it gives you 715 mg of salt per 3 ounces of serving. High salt or sodium consumption may put your health at risk for hypertension, paralytic attack, and renal failure.
So it’s a smart way to opt and take advantage of the low calories imitation crab.
How to cook Imitation Crab meat?
Are you planning to cook seafood dishes? Or simply want to experiment with crab sticks? Imitation crab meat is very easy to prepare. How? Let’s dive right in.
Method 1: Steaming
The best way to cook imitation crab meats is to steam. Steaming might be an ideal choice for healthy eaters.
Here’s what you’ll need
- Steamer
- Pot and Strainer.
- Water
Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Prepare the steamer.
Prepare the steamer by simply adding the clean water that is enough to cook your food. However, you only need 1-2 cups of water for a pack of imitation crab meat. Now evenly place the imitation crab meat inside the streamer’s filter to make sure that every piece will be cooked thoroughly.
Step 2: Steam the imitation crab meat.
After preparing the steamer, plug it up and wait for the food to be cooked. If the water is boiling, the steam should start to fill your steamer. This process would take about 10-minutes until the crab meat is cooked. However, you can cook the unfrozen imitation crab meats for only 6 minutes. In this way, it will prevent the food from over-steaming.
Step 3: Serve and Enjoy.
Once the food is done, you can drain the water from the steamer, and the imitation crab is now ready to be served.
Method 2: Sautéing
If you don’t like the plain and boring imitation crab meat, sautéing is the best way to add more flavor and excitement to your food.
Here’s what you’ll need
- Pan
- Butter
- Garlic
Here’s how to do it
Step 1: Prepare and Heat the Pan.
Each time you sauté a food, keep the pan in a light heat before adding any food. You can place your palm over the pan to check if the pan is hot enough to sauté the imitation crab meat.
Step 2: Add the butter.
If you feel the heat coming from the pan, you can now add the butter. Spread the butter on the surface of the pan using a spatula. You can also tilt the pan to ensure that the butter has melted and covered the pan’s surface. Make sure you don’t burn the butter to avoid ruining the overall flavor of the food you are sautéing.
Step 3: Add the Garlic gloves or juices.
Ensure that the butter is completely melted and covers the pan’s base before putting the crushed or minced garlic in the pan. Stir the garlic pieces until it all turns to golden brown and avoid them from getting burned.
Step 4: Add the imitation crab meat to the pan.
After the garlic pieces turn golden brown, you can add the imitation crab meat into the pan. As I mentioned earlier, the texture of the imitation crab meat should be cooked and handled properly to avoid pulling it into pieces and bits. Continuously sauté the food for about 5 minutes.
Step 5: Serve and Enjoy.
Once the food is done, grab a thin plate, and the imitation crab is now ready to be served.
Here’s a simple recipe that you should try in your kitchen:
Imitation Crab Macaroni and Cheese
One great way to add excitement to your plain old crab meat is to add macaroni and cheese to it. Here’s what you’ll need.
Ingredients
- Two ½ cups of dried macaroni
- Two ½ cups of chess preferably shredded
- 2 cups of whole milk
- 1 can of shrimp soup cream
- ¼ cup of breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup of salted butterElement
- ¼ cup of flour
- Salt, mustard, and pepper
- 8 ounces finely chopped imitation crab meat
Important Tips
- One great way to steam the food faster is by boiling the water beforehand before adding any food to the steamer. This will cook the food immediately.
- Avoid over-steaming or over-cooking the imitation crab meat because it may ruin the texture of the food and overall result.
- If you’re deep frying imitation crab meat, make sure that you deep fry them in batches and rather than all at once.
- Putting the imitation crab meat in the freezer can make it last longer mainly because it is a processed seafood. You can also check the consistency of the food by smelling it and reading the expiration date in the package.
Conclusion
Is it pretty easy, right? After cooking, maybe this is you:
You don’t need to become a master chef to prepare and cook imitation crab meat. Following the steps mentioned above will guide you on the different ways to cook imitation crab meats for variations of dishes, salads, and soups. You can also do some experiments and make your recipe using this mouth-watering food.
If you liked this article, share it with your friends and family and surprise them how easy it is to cook imitation crab meat. And oh, if you have your recipe using this food, let us know by commenting below.
Happy cooking!