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What Is 'Imitation Crab' Made Of? 8 Facts To Know

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It's primarily made from surimi, a paste created from white fish (typically Alaska pollock) that's been deboned, washed, and minced.

White Fish Paste

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The surimi paste is flavoured with crab extract to mimic the taste of real crab meat.

Surimi paste

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Food starch, egg whites, and vegetable oil are added to achieve the characteristic texture.

What Goes In It

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Red food colouring is used to create the pink hue that resembles real crab legs.

Red food colouring

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It contains significantly less cholesterol and fat than genuine crab meat, making it lower in calories.

Less cholesterol

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Most imitation crab contains wheat-based ingredients, making it unsuitable for those with gluten sensitivities.

Wheat-based ingredients

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The product was first developed in Japan in the 1970s as a low-cost alternative to expensive crab meat.

Low-cost alternative

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Despite its name, imitation crab typically contains no actual crab meat (except for flavouring), making it not truly shellfish-free.

No actual crab

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Did you know these facts about imitation crab?