# What is imitation crabmeat and why is it in my grocery store? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 22, 2006, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-imitation-crabmeat-and-why-is-it-in-my-grocery-store/357709 "2006-05-22T04:08:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-imitation-crabmeat-and-why-is-it-in-my-grocery-store/357709/1 "2006-05-22T04:08:16Z")
I’ve never seen a grocery store selling “real” crabmeat (not that I’ve been in the market for it that long - I was introduced to crab for the first time recently), just this imitation stuff - which tastes fine to my inexperienced palate, but… what _is_ it? And why don’t they have real crabmeat? I’m guessing it would be more expensive, if they did. ---
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-imitation-crabmeat-and-why-is-it-in-my-grocery-store/357709/2 "2006-05-22T04:22:13Z")
[Surimi](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imitation_crab_meat) ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-imitation-crabmeat-and-why-is-it-in-my-grocery-store/357709/3 "2006-05-22T04:22:33Z")
Real crabmeat is much more expensive, though you can always get cans of it year round, and fresh in season. Fake crabmeat is a form of surimi, which originated in Japan and is used in multiple asian cultures. Whitefish is taken and pulverised into a paste, and then cooked down untill it firms into a slightly rubbery texture. Other flavors, real or artificial, may be added. Apparently in Japan, it’s ofetn eaten in it’s own right, and not used as a substitute for a more expensive product. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-imitation-crabmeat-and-why-is-it-in-my-grocery-store/357709/4 "2006-05-22T04:26:51Z")
It’s usually made from Alaskan Pollock, and is similar to \*kamaboko \*(made from \*surimi \*) that you get in a Japanese restaraunt. It’s a lot cheaper than real crab meat. Go to a high end grocer and compare the price. I’ve had it maybe once or twice, but I didn’t think it tased all that much like the real thing. Basically processed white fish with some coloring that is supposed to look and taste like crab. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-imitation-crabmeat-and-why-is-it-in-my-grocery-store/357709/5 "2006-05-22T04:35:10Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > I’ve had it maybe once or twice, but I didn’t think it tased all that much like the real thing. Hmm, so what does the real thing taste like by comparison? I’ll have to hunt it out now for sure. (I like the imitation stuff moderately) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-imitation-crabmeat-and-why-is-it-in-my-grocery-store/357709/6 "2006-05-22T05:14:21Z")
> [@Purd Werfect](#): > > Real crabmeat is much more expensive, though you can always get cans of it year round, and fresh in season. FYI incase you’re [the OP] interested. For a one pound container, it will cost you anywhere between about $10 for claw to $20 for backfin to $30 and up for lump or jumbo lump. If you have a small local store that sells seafood, if you ask them to they will most likely bring a can or two in for you, I know I will at our store. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-imitation-crabmeat-and-why-is-it-in-my-grocery-store/357709/7 "2006-05-22T05:55:02Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Hmm, so what does the real thing taste like by comparison? I’ll have to hunt it out now for sure. (I like the imitation stuff moderately) How does one describe a taste? The texture, for one thing, is unmistakeable. I don’t know what to say other than that it tastes… better. Try a small bit sometime and see what you think. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-imitation-crabmeat-and-why-is-it-in-my-grocery-store/357709/8 "2006-05-22T12:59:05Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Hmm, so what does the real thing taste like by comparison? I’ll have to hunt it out now for sure. (I like the imitation stuff moderately) I’ve had both, and in my opinion, there’s a significant difference in flavor. Imitation crab meat is sweeter. Real crab meat has what I can only decribe as a “fuller” flavor, more rich and complex. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-imitation-crabmeat-and-why-is-it-in-my-grocery-store/357709/9 "2006-05-22T13:29:25Z")
> [@Lissa](#): > > I’ve had both, and in my opinion, there’s a significant difference in flavor. Plus, real crab meat cannot be unrolled into [filo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filo_pastry) like sheets as can some varieties of the fake stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-imitation-crabmeat-and-why-is-it-in-my-grocery-store/357709/10 "2006-05-22T13:50:09Z")
It’s a terrible cliche, but crab meat is - in some ways - more similar to chicken than is surimi - the texture of surimi is typically a rubbery mass that can be shredded into strands, but they are uniformly fairly coarse; real crab meat can be broken down into very thin strands. This makes quite a difference to what happens in your mouth when you eat it. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-imitation-crabmeat-and-why-is-it-in-my-grocery-store/357709/11 "2006-05-22T14:16:22Z")
When you buy the imitation crab meat (krab with a K, I call it), it is imitating Alaskan King Crab (or maybe snow crab) leg meat. The meat in the can (backfin & lump), or fresh, if you can get it, is generally Atlantic blue crab (Maryland/Louisiana). This is different than even the real king crab meat. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-imitation-crabmeat-and-why-is-it-in-my-grocery-store/357709/12 "2006-05-22T15:04:47Z")
> [@Joey P](#): > > For a one pound container, it will cost you anywhere between about $10 for claw to $20 for backfin to $30 and up for lump or jumbo lump. A big part of the expense is that cleaning all the meat out of a crab is labor and time intensive. For comparison, here in the Pacific Northwest, where Dungeness crabs are as common as pigeons, scuttling across every beach and tide pool like armored vermin,\* if you go to the seafood counter, you can get fresh lump crabmeat for around $20 per pound, but you can buy a whole cooked crab, usually two or three pounds, for about five dollars. \*Not really; it just seems that way to a visitor from mid-continent who’s amazed at the availability of the stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Madd\_Maxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Madd\_Maxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Madd_Maxx)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-imitation-crabmeat-and-why-is-it-in-my-grocery-store/357709/13 "2006-05-22T16:23:34Z")
Also from my experience most “artificial” crab meat has some real crab or at least real crab flavoring added to make it taste somewhat similiar. (check the labels)From what I have found only Louis Kemp brand artificial crab meat contains no real crab. Which is unfortunate since I’m allergic to shellfish and therefore Louis Kemp is all I can eat. I have eaten “artificial” crab meat twice that had enough real crab in it to trigger an allergic reaction. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-imitation-crabmeat-and-why-is-it-in-my-grocery-store/357709/14 "2006-05-22T16:45:56Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > A big part of the expense is that cleaning all the meat out of a crab is labor and time intensive. For comparison, here in the Pacific Northwest, where Dungeness crabs are as common as pigeons, scuttling across every beach and tide pool like armored vermin,\* if you go to the seafood counter, you can get fresh lump crabmeat for around $20 per pound, but you can buy a whole cooked crab, usually two or three pounds, for about five dollars. It isn’t nearly as cheap here, but we’ve weighted the crab meat we get when we do it ourselves, and it’s a lot cheaper than buying crab meat from the store - and it’s kind of fun. I’m suprised the grocery stores the OP goes to don’t carry crab meat - ours does. I despise the fake stuff. He might try going to a more upscale grocer, or to an Asian grocery. The ones here in the Bay Area have wonderful seafood of all types. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-imitation-crabmeat-and-why-is-it-in-my-grocery-store/357709/15 "2006-05-22T16:48:50Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > When you buy the imitation crab meat (krab with a K, I call it), it is imitating Alaskan King Crab (or maybe snow crab) leg meat. > > The meat in the can (backfin & lump), or fresh, if you can get it, is generally Atlantic blue crab (Maryland/Louisiana). This is different than even the real king crab meat. That’s true where you live, but out on the West Coast we don’t see much blue crab. Most of the fresh crab meat here is king crab. I love them both, but they are very different flavors. Nothing better than fresh blue crab right out of your crab traps, like we had when we rented at the Jersey Shore. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-imitation-crabmeat-and-why-is-it-in-my-grocery-store/357709/16 "2006-05-22T16:53:11Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > . (I like the imitation stuff moderately) Canned crab meat (which is widely available here, I was surprised to find out it isn’t wherever the OP lives, I thought it was sold all over the place) is often of very poor quality. Honestly, I would rather eat crab-flavoured surimi than many cans of crab meat I bought over the years. If you want to know what crab tastes like, buy an actual crab. Way more satisfying. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-imitation-crabmeat-and-why-is-it-in-my-grocery-store/357709/17 "2006-05-22T17:43:04Z")
> [@Madd Maxx](#): > > Also from my experience most “artificial” crab meat has some real crab or at least real crab flavoring added to make it taste somewhat similiar. (check the labels)From what I have found only Louis Kemp brand artificial crab meat contains no real crab. Which is unfortunate since I’m allergic to shellfish and therefore Louis Kemp is all I can eat. I have eaten “artificial” crab meat twice that had enough real crab in it to trigger an allergic reaction. If you’ve got a kosher market near you, see if they have fake crab. The kosher butcher I go to has frozen fake shrimp and crab (the fake crab is very much like other fake crab) that, because of the rules of kashrut, is guaranteed not to have anything from real crab or shrimp in it. ;j ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-imitation-crabmeat-and-why-is-it-in-my-grocery-store/357709/18 "2006-05-22T19:33:56Z")
I’ts Soylent Pink. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-imitation-crabmeat-and-why-is-it-in-my-grocery-store/357709/19 "2006-05-22T19:57:29Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > I’ts Soylent Pink. But Soylent Pink is… Soylent Pink is… SOYLENT PINK IS SURIMI!!! AAAAAHHHHHHH!!! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-imitation-crabmeat-and-why-is-it-in-my-grocery-store/357709/20 "2006-05-23T01:46:41Z")
At the grocery store today I noticed: Real Crab Meat (product of Asia): $25/lb [shelled, cleaned and ready to go] Fake Crab meat: $4/lb Holy price differential, Batman! Not that I have kids, but if I did they’d get the fake stuff in their crab tacos for the after-game baseball team party. I’ll save the good stuff for appetizers for adults! I haven’t bought crab in a long, long time, so I was amazed at how expensive it is. Especially since I grew up thinking it was basically free-- my mom would give us chicken necks that we’d tie to strings and fish out crabs from the local dock. Dozens of crabs for the price of a few chicken necks. Yum!! (Plus you could brag about how much skill you had netting the suckers-- t’ain’t easy.) Does anyone know if the fake stuff is more healthy than the real thing? I’m not sure, but I don’t think crab is especially healthy, and fish generally is. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-imitation-crabmeat-and-why-is-it-in-my-grocery-store/357709.md?page=2)