Can You Eat Imitation Crab Straight From The Package?

Some food snobs may look down on imitation crab, aka crabsticks or krab. However, not only is it a cheaper and more sustainable alternative to real crab in some cases, it might even be better than the real thing. You may even want to snack on it right out of the package, but is this wise? Go right ahead. When it comes to imitation crab, there's no harm in eating it as is.

Imitation crab is typically made from fish, usually Alaskan pollock, which is famously used in frozen fish sticks. Unlike fish sticks, however, imitation crab is fully precooked. Besides pollock, it also contains starch, egg white, oil, sugar, and salt, plus some food dye to give the white fish a crablike red coating. There could also be added flavorings (possibly even a minute amount of real crab), along with preservatives. (Admittedly, these additives mean that imitation crab is not always the stuff of nutritionists' dreams.) Still, it's low in fat, calories, and carbs and supplies a decent amount of protein, as well as other nutrients including vitamin B12, selenium, and phosphorus.

While it's okay to eat imitation crab straight out of the package, you may enjoy it even more if you add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. It can also be used in DIY sushi, assuming you've got the necessary tools and dexterity, or poke bowls if you're not quite ready to be a contestant on "Morimoto's Sushi Master." Imitation crab is also good in salads, either green ones or the mayonnaise-based kind, and it can be swapped out for real crab in cheesy crab dip without really affecting the flavor. It's also great for making crab rangoon — you didn't think that was really made with expensive shellfish, did you?

If it's recipes you want, we're happy to oblige with two of our favorites. The first is for angel hair pasta sauced with crab and caramelized tomato paste. This pasta dish uses canned crab, but imitation crab would work just as well or maybe even better. The second recipe is for a retro ribbon salad that specifically calls for krab, with the other layers being avocado and tomato aspic. It may sound strange, but it's actually very tasty and certainly looks festive with its Christmas-colored stripes.