Surimi (often called crab sticks in the UK) is cheap and fairly easily available. But what is it? Its often thought of as a fake seafood but in Japan its recognised as a prime ingredient and is often used in sushi. So what is it made from?
https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/surimi-seafood-secret-ingredient
Do you ever use it? I haven't ever used it much but I'm thinking of experimenting. This pack costs just £1.50 ($1.95):
It is typically made from either Alaska pollock or Pacific whiting, according to studies from the Oregon State University Seafood Lab. The fish is run through a complicated manufacturing process and turned into a gel. Depending on how that gel is processed, it can be used as a substitute for a number of types of seafood, including lobster and crab.
Surimi seafood was initially created by Japanese chefs hundreds of years ago, who saved any extra fish they couldn't use by salting and grinding it into a gel. This isn't a new phenomenon, either -- the Japanese have considered it a delicacy for 900 years. In the 1960s, a Japanese chemist figured out how to preserve surimi with sugar, giving it a long life span, which officially kicked off an entire surimi industry. It's not just a Japanese industry today -- there are plenty of fisheries (as in, places where farmed fish are raised) on the Oregon coast too. They manufacture about 200,000 tons of surimi per year, according to Dr. Jae Park, a food scientist at OSU.
https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/surimi-seafood-secret-ingredient
Do you ever use it? I haven't ever used it much but I'm thinking of experimenting. This pack costs just £1.50 ($1.95):
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