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Surimi (擂り身,
lit. "ground meat" in Japanese) refers to a
product made from white-fleshed fish (such
as pollock or hake) or lean meat that has
been pulverized to a paste and attains a
rubbery texture when cooked. Surimi is a
much-enjoyed food product in many Asian
cultures and is available in many shapes,
forms, and textures. The most common surimi
product in the western market is imitation
or artificial crab legs.
Production
Lean meat from fish or land animals is first
separated or minced. The meat then may be
rinsed numerous times to eliminate
undesirable odors. The resulting meat is
then beaten and pulverized to form a
gelatinous paste. Depending on the desired
texture and flavour of the surimi product,
the gelatinous paste is mixed with differing
proportions of additives such as starch, egg
white, salt, vegetable oil, sorbitol, sugar,
soy protein and seasonings. If the surimi is
to be packed and frozen, food-grade
cryoprotectants also are added while the
meat paste is being mixed. Under most
circumstances, surimi is immediately
processed, formed and cured into surimi
products at the time it is produced.
The resulting surimi, depending on the type
of fish and whether it was rinsed in the
production process, is typically tasteless
and must be flavored. According to the USDA
Food Nutrient Database 16-1, fish surimi
contains about 76 percent water, 15 percent
protein, 6.85 percent carbohydrate, 0.9
percent fat and 0.03% cholesterol.
In North America and Europe, surimi also
alludes to fish-based products manufactured
using this process. A generic term for
fish-based surimi in Japanese is
"fish-puréed products" (魚肉練り製品 gyoniku neri
seihin).
Uses and
Products
Surimi is a useful ingredient for producing
various kinds of processed foods.
Furthermore, it allows a manufacturer to
imitate the texture and taste of a
higher-quality product such as lobster tail
using a relatively low-cost material. Surimi
is also an inexpensive source of protein.
In Asian cultures, surimi is eaten as a food
product in its own right and is seldom used
to imitate other foods. In Japan fish cakes
(Kamaboko) and fish sausages, as well as
other extruded fish products are commonly
sold as cured surimi. In Chinese cuisine,
fish surimi, often called "fish paste" (魚漿,
lit. fish puree), is used directly as
stuffing or made into balls.
In the west, surimi products are usually
imitation seafood products, such as crab,
abalone, shrimp and scallop, however several
companies do produce surimi sausages,
lunchmeats, hams, and burgers. A couple of
examples include: Salmolux salmon burgers,
Seapack surimi ham, SeaPack surimi salami,
and Seapack surimi rolls. A patent was
issued for the process of making even higher
quality proteins from fish such as in the
making of imitation steak from surimi. |
