How to cook crab sticks. Whether to cook crab sticks. Salad with crab sticks and cheese

Expert - Andrey Mosov, Head of the Roskontrol Expert Direction.

Is there crab in crab sticks?

No. Both sticks and crab meat in packs are just imitations of it. This can be understood immediately by the price. A standard package of crab sticks (200-250 g) is sold from 40 rubles. And the same amount of real crab meat - from 900 rubles. The main ingredient of the sticks is minced surimi, the content of which is from 25 to 60%. Together with it, the composition contains water, starch, vegetable oil, egg white, salt, sugar and natural or identical food additives (thickeners, flavors, dyes, flavor enhancers).

Surimi itself is prepared from white fish with a minimum fat content: mackerel, pollock, hake, blue whiting. In fact, surimi is a concentrated protein from fish meat, obtained from fresh fillets, cleaned of blood, fat and enzymes.

The more stuffing, the better the texture and taste of the sticks. On the packaging of the correct crab sticks, it must be written that this is an “imitation”.

How are they prepared?

White fish fillets are crushed and washed for a long time under cold water - until only undissolved proteins remain. Further, all moisture is removed from this mass. The output is a tasteless mass, to which salt, spices and sugar are added. As well as preservatives (sorbic acid - E420, pyrophosphates - E450), glutamic acid, phosphates, carrageenan thickener - otherwise the product will not be stored. After that, red stripes are created on the meat using dyes E160c (paprika extract) or E120 (carmine or cochineal extracted from insects). They can also add a special bleach to make the meat look more attractive, titanium dioxide. By the way, E120 can cause allergies in some consumers.

After painting, crab sticks pass through the hob, the temperature of which reaches 100 ˚C.

How much can be stored?

After opening the package, the sticks live in the refrigerator for a maximum of 24 hours. Actually, the shelf life of crab salad with mayonnaise does not exceed a day. Then you can get poisoned.

Is there any benefit?

Yes. They contain sodium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, zinc, iodine. Moreover, crab sticks are rich in vitamins B₁ and B₂. Surimi contains methionine, which improves the process of wound healing and has a positive effect on fat metabolism. Crab sticks are low-calorie - they contain no more than 100 kcal per 100 g of product. Approximate protein content - 6 g, carbohydrates - 10 g. But they cannot be considered an equivalent replacement for fish in the diet due to the large number of additives.

Impurities that are added to crab sticks are less useful: egg powder increases the proportion of protein in the product, and starch allows you to increase the volume and elasticity of crab sticks.

Do you need to boil before eating?

No. This is a ready to use product. Additional heat treatment can spoil the taste, because the sticks have already gone through it before.

Is crab meat safe?

A recent examination (see table) of crab meat showed that in all tested samples of popular brands (Vici, Russian Sea, Meridian / Snow Crab, Santa Bremor, D (Dixie) in one or another least there are food additives such as dyes (carmines, paprika extract), stabilizers (sodium polyphosphate, E450, E452), emulsifier (E471), flavor enhancers (monosodium glutamate) and a moisture-retaining agent (polyphosphate).

The results of the examination of crab meat
	It has unreliable labeling of nutritional values: the estimated carbohydrate content in the sample is 60% more than indicated in the labeling.
"Meridian/ Snow crab»	Mislabeled for protein, fat and carbohydrate content.
Crab meat (imitation) "Russian Sea"	The highest indicators of the biological usefulness of the protein (compared to other tested samples). Mislabeled for fat content.
Crab meat (imitation) "Santa Bremor"	Facts of unreliable labeling were not revealed.
	Mislabeled for fat content.

All products are safe, but in some cases they have drawbacks.
Provided by NP "Roskontrol"
The product that received the lowest rating from the organization.

But at the same time, all samples, according to the examination, are safe in terms of microbiological indicators.

The presence of these additives does not mean that the manufacturer has violated the law. But experts are convinced: the less additives in the product, the better it is. In addition, the choice "by composition" depends on how important the presence or absence of these ingredients is for the manufacturer.

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Crab sticks are an indispensable semi-finished product in the kitchen. Zalats, appetizers, sauces are prepared from them; they bake pies and just fry them in batter. How to cook dishes from crab sticks according to original recipes watch and read on.

Crab sticks: what to cook from them / Recipes with crab sticks

Recipe Appetizer of crab sticks "Ocharovashki"

Ingredients:

1 pack crab sticks
3 eggs
100 gr. cheese
2 tooth garlic
mayonnaise
dill greens

Cooking method:

Boil eggs and peel.
Separate the whites from the yolks.
Grate the yolks and whites on a fine grater into different dishes.
Grate the cheese separately.
Finely chop the dill.
Put cheese, dill, garlic and mayonnaise in a bowl with proteins. Mix.
Defrost crab sticks, release from packaging.
Then the sticks need to be lowered for a few seconds in boiling water or held on steam in a colander.
Carefully unfold the sticks into a rectangle.
Lubricate the rectangles with filling and roll back into a tight tube.
Lubricate the edges of the sticks with mayonnaise and dip in the yolks. Serve sticks on lettuce leaves.

Recipe Crab sticks stuffed with shrimps

Ingredients:

2 pack crab sticks
200 gr. boiled unpeeled shrimp
3 eggs
2 processed cheese
2 tooth garlic
3 art. l. mayonnaise
dill greens
pepper

Cooking method:

Boil shrimp, peel and chop.
Boil eggs separately, peel and grate.
Grate melted cheeses on a fine grater.
Chop the dill.
Pass the garlic through a press.
Combine eggs, cheese, shrimp, garlic and dill.
Season the filling with pepper and mayonnaise.
Hold crab sticks in boiling water, then carefully unfold.
Put the filling on the unfolded sticks and spread evenly over the entire surface.
Roll the sticks into rolls.
Arrange on a platter and decorate as you wish.
Place the dish in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Serve as an appetizer.

Crab sticks can be stuffed with lightly salted red fish, boiled or smoked squid, fresh cucumbers, mushrooms fried with onions and even sausage.
The less mayonnaise in the filling, the stronger the roll and the neater the appetizer looks.
In order for the crab stick to unfold and not break in the process, try to defrost the packaging with them naturally. That is, it is better to leave the package at room temperature and the crab sticks will defrost perfectly without too much help.
Salt and pepper dishes from crab sticks are not recommended. Therefore, do not get carried away with seasonings, otherwise you risk spoiling the whole dish.

Recipe Crab sticks in beer batter

Ingredients:

1 pack crab sticks
100 gr. cheese
2 tooth garlic
vegetable oil

For batter:

150 ml beer
2 eggs
1 st. flour (or a little less)

Cooking method:

Cheese grate on a medium grater.
Pass the garlic through a press.
Mix garlic with cheese.
You can add 1 tbsp. l. mayonnaise.
Hold the crab sticks over the steam and unfold.
Put the cheese filling on sticks and roll into a roll.
Prepare a fairly thick batter.
The dough should come out like dough for pancakes.
Heat vegetable oil in a saucepan.
Dip sticks in batter and place in hot oil.
Fry crab sticks until golden brown on all sides.
Put the finished sticks on a napkin to absorb excess fat. Serve with sour cream and a slice of lemon.

Recipe Crab pancakes for beer

Ingredients:

5 pieces. crab sticks
1 st. flour
0.5 st. beer
dill or parsley
1 st. l. vegetable oil

Cooking method:

Sift flour.
Pour beer into flour, add salt and egg.
Mix and add oil.
Grate crab sticks on a fine grater.
Put the sticks into the dough and mix. Add chopped greens.
Bake like small thin pancakes or pancakes, pre-greasing the pan with oil. This dish can be well salted. Serve with cold beer.

Recipe Crab sauce for fish or white meat

Ingredients:

1 pack crab sticks
1 st. cream
dill greens

Cooking method:

Freeze crab sticks.
Then remove the package and grate on the smallest grater.
Whip half of the cream with a whisk.
Put the second half of the cream to the crab sticks and beat for 10 seconds with a blender.
Combine both parts of the cream. Salt to taste.
Finely chop the greens and put in the sauce.
The sauce can be acidified with a few drops of lemon juice.

Experimenting with crab sticks is not for you, since you prefer the usual crab salad? Then watch the video recipe below.

Video recipe "Crab stick salad"

Cook with pleasure and be healthy!

Always your Alena Tereshina.

Crab stick salad is one of the most favorite dishes on the festive table. How to choose what we consider "crab meat" so that it is both tasty and not harmful? ...

Is there crab in crab sticks?

No. Both sticks and crab meat in packs are just imitations of it. This can be understood immediately by the price. A standard package of crab sticks (200-250 g) costs less than $1. And the same amount of real crab meat - from $15.

The main ingredient of the sticks is minced surimi, the content of which is from 25 to 60%. Together with it, the composition contains water, starch, vegetable oil, egg white, salt, sugar and natural or identical food additives (thickeners, flavors, dyes, flavor enhancers).

The more stuffing, the better the texture and taste of the sticks. On the packaging of the correct crab sticks, it must be written that this is an “imitation”.

How are they prepared?

White fish fillets are crushed and washed for a long time under cold water - until only undissolved proteins remain. Further, all moisture is removed from this mass.

The output is a tasteless mass, to which salt, spices and sugar are added. As well as preservatives (sorbic acid - E420, pyrophosphates - E450), glutamic acid, phosphates, carrageenan thickener - otherwise the product will not be stored.

After that, red stripes are created on the meat using dyes E160c (paprika extract) or E120 (carmine or cochineal extracted from insects). They can also add a special bleach to make the meat look more attractive, titanium dioxide. By the way, E120 can cause allergies in some consumers.

After painting, crab sticks pass through the hob, the temperature of which reaches 100 ˚C.

How much can be stored?

After opening the package, the sticks live in the refrigerator for a maximum of 24 hours. Actually, the shelf life of crab salad with mayonnaise does not exceed a day. Then you can get poisoned.

Is there any benefit?

Crab sticks are low-calorie - they contain no more than 100 kcal per 100 g of product. Approximate protein content - 6 g, carbohydrates - 10 g. But they cannot be considered an equivalent replacement for fish in the diet due to the large number of additives.

Impurities that are added to crab sticks are less useful: egg powder increases the proportion of protein in the product, and starch allows you to increase the volume and elasticity of crab sticks.

Do you need to boil before eating?

No. This is a ready to use product. Additional heat treatment can spoil the taste, because the sticks have already gone through it before.

Is crab meat safe?

All products are safe, but in some cases they have drawbacks.
* Provided by NP "Roskontrol"
**Product with the lowest organization rating.

But at the same time, all samples, according to the examination, are safe in terms of microbiological indicators.

This product is great for making salads and casseroles, but whether to cook crab sticks before use is a question that interests many housewives. Due to inexperience, many people think that they need to be cooked and therefore spoil the taste of the product.

Can I cook frozen crab sticks

This product, called surimi, is often commercially frozen by deep dry freezing. Like vegetables, which are also sold by weight in supermarkets, it is completely ready to eat. It is enough just to defrost the crab sticks, but you should not cook them.

Leave them for a couple of hours at room temperature and they will thaw. And if you need to urgently prepare a salad, you can put them in hot water for 10 minutes - and they will be ready to eat.

Remember that in addition to minced fish and flour, these sticks contain flavorings. If you boil crab sticks or give them other types of heat treatment, you can deprive them of their taste.

Another way to defrost, so as not to cook crab sticks, is to defrost in the microwave. Turn on the “Defrost” mode, remove the sticks from the pack and free from individual packaging, put on a dish and turn on the time for 10-15 minutes.

Do I need to cook crab sticks for salad

Crab sticks perfectly diversify the taste of even the simplest salad of tomatoes and cucumbers. Therefore, they are often added in order to give favorite and simple dishes new flavor notes. To do this, you do not need to cook crab sticks, it is enough to defrost them correctly and cut into pieces.

But chefs still recommend buying chilled surimi - such a product contains a large amount of protein, which is destroyed during heat treatment. And the taste of chilled fresh sticks cannot be compared with thawed ones, besides, many manufacturers make such a product with the addition of crab meat, which makes surimi even tastier and healthier.

Do I need to cook crab sticks for a child

Children love this product and willingly eat it in salads, and on a walk a pack of crab sticks helps out as a snack. Can crab sticks be cooked for children or can they be given raw?

Surimi is a completely ready-to-eat product, but it is better not to give it to children under 7 years of age. Crab meat and crab sticks are two completely different products, so you should not give your children semi-finished products. Better make them fish cakes or rabbit stew. A - tips from chefs will be of interest to many housewives.

Crab sticks are quite a popular product in Russia. Of these, you can prepare salads, stuff, use as a filling for pancakes, sushi, tartlets, or eat just like that. However, many are wondering if crab sticks need to be pre-boiled, and how long it will take. Let's try to answer it.

Some useful substances are preserved even after processing in production - these are macronutrients, nicotinic acid and vitamin PP. In addition, crab sticks are low-calorie foods. 100 grams contains only 100 kcal, so the product can be used by people who care about their weight.

Product Features

The ingredient is an imitation of crab meat. During production, the Japanese add minced mackerel, hake, blue whiting, pollock here, however, many manufacturers do not disdain offal, due to which the quality of the goods decreases. It may also contain dyes, flavors and other chemicals. Therefore, crab sticks cannot be called a useful product. But still, one package bought to prepare a delicious salad for the holiday will not bring harm.

How to cook?

Crab sticks are a ready-made dish, so you do not need to boil it. In stores, the product is offered in frozen and chilled form. It is better to buy chilled sticks, they have less water, which makes the cooking process easier. If the ingredient is frozen, then it should simply be placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, where it will defrost on its own.

If a salad is prepared from crab sticks, then they do not need any heat treatment, since salads are served cold. The most successful combinations in cooking are fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese, corn, eggs, pineapples. The same goes for tartlets. By mixing defrosted crab sticks with boiled eggs and cheese, you get an interesting filling for tartlets; for lovers, you can add chopped garlic to the mixture. The same composition is allowed to be used for lavash crab roll.

The structure of crab sticks is such that they can be unfolded and refolded. Due to this property, the product is often used for stuffing. For example, you can wrap a strip of hard cheese inside, dip a stuffed stick in flour and egg batter and fry in a pan for a couple of minutes.

If you plan to cook such a dish, then you also do not need to boil the sticks first, but it is recommended to hold them in boiling water for 5 minutes.

If crab sticks are used as part of fried dishes, for example, cutlets, meatballs or potato pancakes, then when frying, you should focus on the readiness of other ingredients that make up the dish. Crab sticks are already prepared in advance, so you can remove them from the pan as soon as a delicious crust appears, that is, after a couple of minutes.

Even if crab sticks are introduced into the child's diet, they still do not need to be boiled. Another thing is whether they are needed at all in the children's menu. But if you really want to treat your baby with yummy, then you should monitor the expiration date and offer the product in a very small amount.

crab fritters

In this recipe, crab sticks are heat-treated, but they do not need to be boiled in advance. Such pancakes can become a breakfast, or can be served as a main dish with a side dish. Cook them quickly, simply, economically. We will need the following products:

crab sticks - 240 g;
eggs - 4 pcs.;
hard cheese - 150 g;
potato starch - 2 tbsp. l.;
garlic - 2 cloves;
salt and pepper to taste;
frying oil.

The preparation looks like this.

Chilled crab sticks and three large cheese on a grater.
We introduce into the resulting mixture the eggs, minced garlic, pepper and starch with a press. We mix all the ingredients.
We heat the pan with oil, sculpt the pancakes and fry for a couple of minutes on each side until the surface is browned. Delicious unusual pancakes are ready!

See the next video for how to cook crab stick pancakes.