How To Use Surimi: Can You Cook Or Fry It Or Eat It Raw?
Love it but don’t know how to use surimi?
Surimi is a type of seafood that is made from fish but made to resemble crab meat. It can be used in various dishes, including sushi, salads, and casseroles.
If you are looking for a new way to enjoy seafood, surimi is a great option. It is easy to cook and can be eaten raw or cooked.
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Does surimi need to be cooked?
You can eat surimi right from the package without cooking it because it has already been cooked when making the sticks. You can heat them up if you want hot surimi, but you shouldn’t cook them because they will get very chewy.
In fact, you shouldn’t cook the surimi for longer than a few minutes so if you intend to use them in a hot dish, add them to the broth or sauce in the very last couple of minutes.
Can I eat surimi raw?
Well, raw isn’t really correct here because surimi is made from a whitefish paste that’s already been cooked, so even if you eat it right out of the packet, it won’t be raw.
How long should you boil surimi?
You shouldn’t boil surimi for longer than 3 minutes because the texture would suffer and they would become hard to chew. If you have frozen surimi, you can boil them for around 10 minutes to thaw them out completely and heat them up in the process.
What is surimi exactly?
Surimi is actually the paste the imitation crab sticks are made of. I’m going to assume you mean the surimi sticks when talking about things like can you cook or fry it.
No one would eat the paste on its own because its pretty much tasteless and wouldn’t. t be very good.
It’s not until it’s made into fish cakes like the crab sticks that different seasonings are added that give them their flavor.
Also read: surimi vs kani vs kanikama vs snow crab, this is how they differ
Different ways to eat surimi
- Sushi: You can use surimi in sushi rolls as a substitute for crab meat.
- Crab cakes: Mix surimi with some egg and breadcrumbs to make crab cakes.
- Fried: You can fry surimi sticks and serve them with a dipping sauce.
- Soup: Add surimi to a soup or stew for some extra protein.
- As is: You can also just eat the sticks on their own as a snack.
- Cooked surimi: If you want to cook surimi, the best way to do it is by steaming them. This will help to preserve the delicate texture of the seafood. You can also fry or bake surimi, but be careful not to overcook them or they will become tough and chewy.
- Surimi in the air fryer: You can also cook surimi in the air fryer. Just be sure to use a little cooking spray so they don’t stick to the basket. Cook them at 400 degrees F for about 3-5 minutes or until they are heated through.
- Surimi with butter: Another delicious way to eat surimi is by simply heating them up in a pan with some butter. This will give the seafood a nice flavor without overwhelming it.
Surimi uses by popularity
The most popular way to use surimi is by far a surimi salad, followed by surimi sushi (by a large distance).
Searches for surimi dishes per month
Conclusion
Surimi is a versatile seafood that can be used in many different dishes. Whether you eat it raw, cooked, or fried, there are many ways to enjoy this delicious seafood!
Also read: A simple yet tasty 10-minute kanikama crab salad you can make for a party
Check out our new cookbook
Bitemybun's family recipes with complete meal planner and recipe guide.
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Joost Nusselder, the founder of Bite My Bun is a content marketer, dad and loves trying out new food with Japanese food at the heart of his passion, and together with his team he's been creating in-depth blog articles since 2016 to help loyal readers with recipes and cooking tips.