Crab Stick Taste Reviews and Cooking Tips
Table of Contents
What Is Crab Stick?
Most people actually think that crab stick is made from the real crab. However, that’s totally wrong. According to most Japanese, 50% of crab stick is made from fish while the remaining is made of artificial ingredients. Basically, you won’t expect the crab stick to taste a whole lot like real crab. However, saying it tastes entirely different is just an understatement.
Most crab sticks are made from de-boned fish mashed into a paste and blend into other ingredients. The color and appearance look like that of crab thanks to the artificial flavors it contains. However, simply because they have the same calorie content doesn’t mean they can be utilized the same way.
We have a lot of reasons why we’ve come to love crab stick over the real thing. If the taste isn’t one of those, then you’ve lost track of how it feels to have a delicious meal. Secondly, the crab fish is favored over the real thing due to its cost. Not only is real crab hard to find but takes long to prepare.
What Does Crab Stick Taste Like
The origin of crab stick is quite vague. No doubt, Crab is delicious, it has this exotic taste missing in most seafood. Its texture makes it easy to blend into most Oriental cuisines. Crabs have a creamy but mild taste. However, the same can’t be said of its imitation.
Having the premium experience that comes from cooking with real crab comes at a cost. A risk most people are not willing to take. Hence, crab stick isn’t seen as just an alternative but brings a whole new option to the table.
Most times, the taste self-adjusts to the meal it’s made with. On its own, it has that exotic fishy taste thanks to the presence of artificial flavors.
To be honest, you will be wrong to liken the taste of crab to its imitation. In terms of nutrient, the former is miles ahead. Out of the pack, crab stick is slim in size, but if it has a strong fishy or sour taste, then it isn’t suitable to be cooked. Fortunately, you don’t need to worry about this since most crab stick lasts for a very long time.
How To Use Crab Stick For Asian Cuisines
Crab stick can be cooked in a whole lot of ways. Most times, it’s used as a side meal rather than the main course. While this is a way to minimize the build-up of sodium and potassium, don’t rule out the option of centering everything around it.
Breakfast Menu
For breakfast, you have a lot of crab stick-inspired meal to choose from. For omelet with minced crab stick, you are first advised to steam the stick to minimize the effect of artificial sweeteners. This is a way of giving the recipe your own original taste.
For crab omelet, you have to throw in few slices of vegetables in addition to minced crab stick before adding your egg. This scramble can be enjoyed with bread.
Sauté Crab
This works best if you want a quick fix during the day. While this isn’t the most creative option available, it keeps your tummy filled till the next available meal comes. Sautéing with crushed crab stick add more flavor to steamed crab. To add more spice, you can add ginger to eliminate the drab taste.
Crab Fried Rice
This is a popular Asian cuisine. Rather than opting for regular fried rice, take a leaf from most Asian restaurants and spice up your meal with seafood. Most times, Crab fried rice is prepared with Real crab. However, you can improvise with crab stick. Where Real crab is missing, you can use crab stick.
Crab Cakes
Most Chinese meals are born from creativity. Rather than sticking to what’s written in the book, you can flip the script by experimenting on several dishes. While a cake with lumps isn’t the sexiest choice, you get to feel a taste that’s out of the ordinary.
Where To Buy Crab Stick?
Crab stick is available in most Asian markets. They are packaged in plastic boxes with crab images on it. Usually, the crab stick is wrapped by a plastic paper. This paper help crab stick to maintain its shape. Remember to remove the paper before serving.
Major online platforms also offer a variety of crab stick products at a reasonable price.
Is Crab Stick Healthy?
Crabs, like every other seafood, is a rich source of protein and minerals. There are approximately 428 KJ of energy per 100 g of crab. Even though it’s low in fat, it’s cholesterol level is quite high, which begs the question even further.
Apart from protein, Crab stick also had a fair share of Omega-3 fatty acids as well as protein and vitamin. The Omega-3 acid present in crab is quite different from the one present in vegetables. The former has long-chain Omega-3 which is easily absorbed into the body.
Since crab stick is equally made from seafood, it contains some of the nutrients also mentioned above. However, their total nutritional contents are no match for the real thing. For every Omega-3 crab stick contains, it has a substantial amount of potassium and sodium in addition to artificial flavor. Hence, you might want to have a second thought before stocking your kitchen with crab stick.
Even though crab sticks are low in fat, they also have high-fat content. Just two sticks of this delicacy contain about 500 mg of sodium which amounts to 20% of the total daily dose recommended by most nutritionist.
In reality, excess consumption of crab stick can actually spell doom for your health. Eating more than the recommended dose could have adverse effects like blood pressure, Increased blood volume due to its high sodium content.
However, the presence of potassium lowers the side effects of sodium to the barest minimum. If sodium increases blood pressure, potassium does the opposite. However, excess consumption also irritates the throat.
To the question: is crab stick healthy? Yes! But only if taken in moderation.
Conclusion
The secret to getting that awesome taste from crab stick lies in the method of preparation, as well as shelf life. No matter how spot-on your meal is prepared, if the crab stick used is sour or rotten, it all comes to nothing. Hence, store in a freezer when not in use and check it’s smell before using it.
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