Imitation crab meat also known as surimi is a popular ingredient for many dishes. Made from fish paste and additives like sugar, salt, and starch, it has a flavor similar to real crab meat but is much more affordable. If you’re wondering what you can make with this versatile ingredient, you have a lot of delicious options! Here are 15 amazing recipes featuring imitation crab meat
1. Crab Cakes
Crab cakes are a classic way to use imitation crab meat. Mix the crab meat with breadcrumbs, egg, onion, bell pepper, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay seasoning, and mayo. Form into patties and pan fry until golden brown. Serve with remoulade or tartar sauce for dipping. The crab cakes will be moist, flaky and full of flavor.
2. Crab Rangoon
These Chinese restaurant favorites are easy to recreate at home with imitation crab. Simply mix the crab with cream cheese, green onions and garlic. Place a teaspoonful of the filling into each wonton wrapper, seal and fry. The crispy wrappers with the creamy, crab-filled center are sure to be a hit!
3. Crab Dip
Crab dip is one of the most popular ways to serve imitation crab. Combine canned or imitation crab with cream cheese sour cream onion, garlic and seasoning. Bake until hot and bubbly. Serve with crackers or chips for scooping up the hot, creamy dip. It’s perfect for parties!
4. California Sushi Rolls
California rolls are a simple yet delicious sushi roll to make with imitation crab. Fill sushi rice wrapped in nori sheets with crab sticks, avocado and cucumber. Top with sesame seeds, drizzle with sriracha mayo and slice into rolls. Enjoy this fresh tasting sushi at home.
5. Crab Salad
Imitation crab makes a tasty salad when mixed with mayo lemon juice celery, onion and seasoning. Serve the salad over greens, on bread for a sandwich or stuff it into tomatoes or avocados. It’s a light and refreshing meal for summer.
6. Crab Quiche
For an elegant brunch dish, add imitation crab to your favorite quiche recipe. Saute the crab meat with onion and garlic, then scatter over the egg and cheese custard before baking. The crab gives this quiche a tasty seafood twist.
7. Crab Louie
Traditionally made with Dungeness crab, this salad can easily be prepared with imitation crab too. Simply mix the crab with chopped egg, tomato, avocado, onion and lettuce. Toss with Louie dressing of mayo, lemon juice, Worcestershire, ketchup, hot sauce and herbs. A refreshing classic!
8. Crab Casserole
For a hearty casserole, combine cooked imitation crab with bread crumbs, egg, milk, cheese and seasonings like onion, parsley, paprika and cayenne. Pour into a baking dish, top with more cheese and bread crumbs and bake until bubbling and browned. Comfort food at its finest!
9. Crab Fried Rice
Stir imitation crab meat into fried rice with vegetables for an easy weeknight meal. Scramble eggs with garlic, cook rice according to package directions then stir-fry with soy sauce, crab, peas, carrots and beans. Finish with a squeeze of lime. Delicious!
10. Crab Cakes Benedict
For an indulgent weekend brunch, top crab cakes with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce for a Benedict-style treat. Place crab cakes on English muffins, top each with an egg and drizzle with lemon-spiked hollandaise sauce. An impressive dish for guests.
11. Crab Pretzel Bites
These two-bite snacks are perfect for parties! Mix imitation crab with cream cheese, onion, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice. Sandwich the mixture between mini pretzel twists and bake until golden. Serve warm right out of the oven.
12. Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
Imitation crab is amazing paired with earthy mushrooms. Mix crab with cream cheese, bread crumbs, Parmesan, garlic and herbs. Stuff into mushroom caps and bake. The hot, bubbly crab filling pairs perfectly with the mushrooms.
13. Crab Wontons
For another fun app, wrap crab mixture in wonton wrappers. Mix crab with cream cheese, green onions, Worcestershire and seasoning. Place a spoonful in each wonton wrapper, seal and fry until crisp. Enjoy these crab wontons with sweet chili or duck sauce for dipping.
14. Crab and Corn Chowder
Imitation crab adds wonderful seafood flavor to this creamy soup. Saute onion, potato and bacon. Add chicken broth, corn and seasonings. Simmer and stir in crab. Finish with cream or milk. Garnish bowls with fresh thyme and cracked black pepper.
15. Crab Alfredo
Fettuccine Alfredo gets a tasty twist with the addition of imitation crab. Make alfredo sauce from butter, garlic, cream and Parmesan. Cook fettuccine noodles according to package directions. Toss noodles with sauce and imitation crab. Garnish with parsley for a quick yet impressive meal.
As you can see, the possibilities are endless when cooking with imitation crab meat! It adds a sweet, delicate seafood flavor to so many dishes, from appetizers and snacks to main courses and salads. With this versatile meat substitute, you can easily create fantastic seafood meals on a budget. Imitation crab is affordable, easy to find and a snap to prepare. So next time you come across it at the grocery store, grab a pack and whip up one of these tasty recipes. Your family and friends will be impressed with your culinary skills!
5-Star Reader Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“This is a great crab salad. We use it as a snack with crackers. Sometimes we will add pasta, and shredded cheese to it for a crab pasta salad. The celery is a MUST, don’t skip it!!” – Donelda
“I Love this Crab Salad Recipe, is so easy to make in a few minutes, and to enjoy in the summer, good thing is that you get to create your own salad that you can enjoy with family and friens accompany with Ritz or Pasta or Chips Tortillas. Thank you for the recipe!!!” – Ayda
“Love, love, love this recipe. It’s a keeper if you love crab salad as much as I do. It’s also good used in so many ways.” – Andrea
“My aunt usually makes the best crab salad but after seeing this recipe, I challenged her.. til this day she don’t know how easy it is to make..but now she have me make it at every family event…she now says that I make the best crab salad ever..its funny because hers is very extravagant and mine is just this simple recipe..thank you my family loves it.” – Tomekia
Classic Crab Salad Ingredients
Some people like to add all sorts of fancy stuff to their crab salad (onions, dill, chopped cucumber, cumin, dijon mustard, etc.) but, I like my crab salad SUPER simple. Not to say that the above mentioned add-ins are bad, they just alter the taste too much in my opinion. If you want to add any extras, feel free. As mentioned above, we would serve this in the restaurant I worked at in Hawaii and it was always a crowd favorite. Everyone wanted to know the secret to why it was so good, and really, there was no secret at all! It is the easiest, most simple crab salad recipe ever. Here’s what I use:
- Imitation crab meat (or real crab meat): Ironically, most crab salad (including this recipe) isn’t made from actual crab. Most crab salad is made from imitation crab meat (aka “krab meat” or “surimi”). It is more commonly found than actual crab meat and is much cheaper. Imitation crab meat is often found in California Rolls or simply eaten on its own as a snack.
- Celery: Celery adds a nice crunch to the salad. If you want the flavor without the crunch, add use celery seed seasoning.
- Mayonnaise: Best Foods Mayonnaise (aka Hellmann’s for you East Coasters) is my go-to brand. I have also had success with Duke’s and Kewpie mayo.
- Lemon Juice: This gives the dressing a little burst of citrus. Use fresh squeezed if you can.
- Seasonings: Fresh dill, salt, and pepper.
- Optional ingredients: onions, chopped cucumber, cumin, dijon mustard (see more add in options below).
How to Make Imitation CRAB SALAD: Easy SEAFOOD salad recipe
FAQ
What is the best way to eat imitation crab meat?
Comments Section Sushi or sushi bowl, especially spicy krab. Add to creamy pastas. Alfredo, mac n cheese, or a baked pasta casserole if you want to go full midwestern. And don’t forget good old krab dip. My dad used to just chop it and put it on salads with vinaigrette when I was a kid.
What pairs well with imitation crab meat?
Garlic butter sautéed imitation crab is also delicious served over pasta or in toasted buns. Korean avocado, sauteed oyster mushrooms or other fresh vegetables like steamed green beans, peas, corn or edamame are all great side dish pairings for this recipe.
How long will imitation crab last in the fridge?
Is imitation crab meat healthy?
Imitation crab is mostly made of Alaska pollock and it’s good for you because it is affordable, convenient, and nutritious.