Fake Crabmeat

[mollyanne]

I can't resist a good sale. Thus, I bought my first package of fake crabmeat at 1/2 price. I didn't know what to do with it other than sprinkle it on salad greens but I was out of greens so I followed the recipe on the back for Crab Dip:

8 oz Fake Crab.............check
1 tsp lemonjuice...........check
4 oz creamcheese.........substituted less caloric Greek Yogurt
1 chopped green onion...had none so substituted fresh chives
2Tbsp horseradish.........ran out so halfhorseradish/halfmustard
4 oz. sliced almonds......check
2 Tbsp milk..................didn't need - yogurt was runny enough
pepper to taste............check (half black half cayenne)
Recipe said Bake@400 for 12 minutes...bake yogurt? Nah.

So far...can only taste mustard and chives - no crab taste

Added Old Bay Seasoning...still no crab taste

Where did I go wrong ? No, seriously, I know I substituted a lot and didn't bake it but has anyone ever had any luck with Fake Crab? Is there a recipe that's any good for this stuff other than sushi (does it have any crab flavor when you eaten it in sushi?)

 

[Andy M.]

...Where did I go wrong ?...

You replaced mild tasting cream cheese with tart yogurt
You replaced horseradish with mustard
You replaced black pepper with cayenne
You ate it raw instead of cooking it
You added Old Bay seasoning

Where didn't you go wrong?

Fake crab has a nice flavor but you can't bury it in a blend of other strong flavors.

 

[DaveSoMD]

Um.. I'm thinking too may substitutions.

 

[mollyanne]

...ouch . Okay, I deserved that but, Andy, I didn't eat it raw...yuk. The package says fully cooked. But yes, I ate it cold.

 

[trench]

That's an interesting recipe. I'm not sure why they bake it... there's nothing in it that needs heat. Weird.

Smart people substitute quality yogurt for cream cheese any day of the week so don't worry about that. The horseradish/mustard substitution is a bit harsh though... depending on the mustard. I could see a quality Dijon possibly working. "Pepper to taste" is too abstract... for all we know 2 tablespoons of cayenne pepper flushed the entire recipe. But I'm guessing you didn't use 2 tablespoons.

As for baking yogurt, I've not done it but it should be fine if you are using a yogurt cheese [highly drained yogurt] or Greek Yogurt. 12 minutes isn't long and it might be used to fuse and set the flavors... I'm not really sure.

All of that said... fake crab is kinda gross and very high in sodium, so you might not have done anything wrong. Maybe you just don't like the stuff. Did you try it sans ingredients?

 

[mollyanne]

...yes, I picked out a lump of it and wiped off the sauce and just ate it sans sauce but it still had no flavor...maybe it's the "on sale" brand that is the problem. It was called "Classic Crab". I used a teensiest of teensy pinch of the cayenne pepper because I know it packs a wollop...and used Dijon. But I think you're right about the heat bringing out the flavor of the crab maybe.

...but basically Dave got it right...."too many substitutions"
...and Andy got it right..."buried in a blend of strong flavors"

I hang my head in shame...lol. Meanwhile I'll never buy that stuff again...until another "great deal" rears it's ugly head. Just can't resist a deal...when will I ever learn?

 

[kadesma]

Mollyanne,
fake crab isn't bad and the crab man isn't gonna get ya I've used it with real crab and the tiny bay shrimp to make a nice cold aasalad when more people than expected show up and buy all real crab would break the bank, add celery, sliced green onion both parts, sliced toasted nuts a little mayo and lemon zest and juice get it nice and cold and it is good.
kades

 

[thymeless]

As others have pointed out, yep too much mangling of the recipe.

But baking will help blend and marry flavors. Most food tastes stronger hot and crab dip is normally a dish served at least warm. Yogurt would be quite a bit runnier at that point than cream cheese.

Surimi can be good and can be bad. The cheaper the fake crab, generally the poorer it is.

 

[mollyanne]

What a great idea, kades, to use the fake stuff to expand
your amount of real crab for $avings! And I always trust
your recipes so thank you for the tips.

 

[mollyanne]

oops, didn't see you there, thymeless. It makes sense the cheaper the poor the quality.

But guess what?! I just baked some Panko breaded Tilapia for lunch and had a bite of each at the same time of my failed Fake Crab Dip and Tilapia and...drumbroll...YUMMO! Together they are a marriage made in heaven!

 

[CharlieD]

You went wrong at the very begining face crab meat doesn't taste anything like real crab

 

[Kayelle]

I only half agree Charlie. While the fake crab I've bought has the taste of real crab, it lacks the texture or mouth feel of real crab. One needs to at least shred the fake crab in a recipe. It's some kind of white fish dyed pink, with crab flavoring the way I understand it.
MollyAnn, when the stuff first came on the market, I had a main dish recipe that was pretty darn good. I'll look for it if you want to try it.

 

[mollyanne]

Now that's a thought no one mentioned yet, kayelle. I was wondering if I should have shredded it a bit....but still that wouldn't have helped it's unflavorfulness.

Don't bother trying to find your recipe....i've tried that at times and it can take hours. If you ever run across it again though then, YES, I'd love for you to post it. Thank you

 

[CharlieD]

I think in my Ukranian recipes thread there is a recipe for a salad using fake crab meat, it is really-really good. But other than that, really how can polach, I think it is the name of the fish used for the fake crab, taste like real crab?

 

[Kayelle]

Everything anyone could ever want to know about fake crab. lol

Gale-Edit - How Products are Made - Volumes - Imitation Crab Meat

 

[mollyanne]

Oh thank you Your Kayelleness
...and to think I've waited all my
life for that epistle on fake crab

.

 

[Kayelle]

Always remember, you heard it from me first.

 

[Claire]

I like krab in a cobb salad. Krab, bacon, blue cheese, avocado, boiled egg wedges, tomato wedges, artfully arranged on a bed of greens. Dressing can be a lot of things; oil & vinegar, ranch, blue cheese, pick your favorite.

Layer thinly sliced ham and krab in a casserole with thinly sliced onions. Sprinkle cheese of your choice between the layers, a sprinkle of Chesapeake Bay seasoning, and some cream of whatever your favorite soup is (since you're using fake crab, I wouldn't bother to make a bechamel). Everything is cooked already, so just bake until hot through (use any casserole recipe to get a time/temp). Serve with a starch and salad. Or, to make it a more complete casserole, you can par-boil or nuke some thin slices of potatoes and add that to the layered mix. This is most definitely a play it by ear, experiment with what you have thing.

Use your favorite tuna/chicken/ham etc salad recipe for sandwiches. Use the aforementioned Bay seasoning. Spread in sandwiches, put out as a spread on crackers, or serve as a luncheon scooped into a hollowed tomato or avocado half.

Use in a stir fry or fried rice.

Ironically, I know how to do all this stuff, but my husband doesn't like fake crab, so I almost never do it!

 

[mtnlover14]

I am a self proclaimed coupon princess (not yet a Queen), but there are just some things you can't skimp on. Fake seafood being definitely a top 3. Fake crab and lobster are made from Pollock.. a cheeeeaaap white fish. It is super processed, then mixed with a bunch of other fish. If you want to taste what it is you think you are eating, gotta get the real stuff.

Guess I am a little snobby on the subject... growing up with clam, lobster, and crab bakes made me this way. I blame my ocean-obsessed family.

 

[Zhizara]

I agree it is a cheap way of getting fish in your diet without blowing your budget. As for the sweetish taste, it bothered me until I thought of adding a little soy sauce or teriyaki to it. It changes the taste completely making it more savory. I like to add a quarter pound of it to Ramen noodles with the sprinkle of soy sauce for a quick, cheap and healthy lunch. How do you like to fix it?

Zhizara