Surimi-Based Seafood

Surimi is a seafood product made from cooked, mild-flavored, lean, white-fleshed fish — most often pollock or whiting. The fish is deboned, minced, rinsed, and rendered into a protein base. This base is then put through a process where color, flavor, binders, and stabilizers are added to it, making it look and taste as much as possible like high-value shellfish such as crab, lobster, and shrimp. Surimi seafoods were introduced to the U.S. market in the early 1980s and since then consumption of surimi has grown to more than 150 million pounds a year by most estimates. Surimi is an excellent source of high-quality protein and is naturally low in fat, cholesterol, and calories. Pre-cooked, inexpensive, and ready to use, surimi is convenient to substitute any recipe calling for the flavors of shellfish.

• Mixed Seafood Ceviche