If you’ve ever eaten a California roll from your local sushi spot, then you’ve experienced imitation crab. This look-a-like crab product has the same appearance, taste, and texture of real crab, but as its name implies, is not the real thing. Many restaurants and consumers defer to imitation crab as it has a much lower price tag when compared to fresh, real crab meat. The nutritional value of imitation crab leaves a lot to be desired and contrary to real crab, provides little to no healthy fats. For those aiming to consume a diet rich in heart healthy fats, or even for those following a ketogenic diet, imitation crab may not be a reliable choice.
Imitation crab is not keto-friendly. It is a highly processed food product that contains various thickeners, preservatives, and flavoring agents. These additives all contribute to the high carbohydrate content and lack of nutrients characteristic of imitation crab. The best keto and more nutritious alternatives to imitation crab are Fresh Alaska King Crab, Bumblebee Crabmeat, and Reed Select Hearts of Palm.
In this article we’ll discuss a brief overview of imitation crab, how it is made, compare the nutrient profiles of imitation crab and real crab, and offer a few alternatives options. Let’s dig in!
Contents
What is Imitation Crab?
Imitation crab is a crab meat alternative that looks, tastes, and has a similar texture to real crab. It is commonly used in California sushi rolls, crab cakes, crab rangoon, and some seafood salads. This crab stand-in is a highly processed food that is made using pulverized fish and other ingredients. Due to the nature of its ingredients and processing, many refer to imitation crab as “hot dog of the sea.”
How is Imitation Crab Made?
Imitation crab is made using a product known as surimi. Surimi is, in essence, white fish (typically pollock) that has been deboned and washed, then is minced until it forms a paste. Once a pasty consistency is achieved, it is then blended with other ingredients such as starch, sodium, sugar, egg white, vegetable oil, and both natural and artificial flavors. These additives act as binding agents and help the meat stick together and hold shape. Once all combined, the paste is used to fill rectangular molds that imitate the leg meat of a real crab. Many imitation crab products also have a thin coat of orange or red food dye painted on them to mimic a natural crab’s typical hue or coloring.
Is Imitation Crab Healthy?
The aforementioned nutritional profiles of several imitation crab products may have you thinking this could be a healthy addition to your diet. It is always encouraged to read ingredient lists, as the nutrition panel can be deceiving. While these imitation crab products are seemingly harmless – 0 grams fat, 6 grams protein, low calorie – the ingredients used and processing that is undergone to create these products is all but healthy.
Imitation crab contains tons of added ingredients like starch, sodium, vegetable oils, sugar, sorbitol, and egg whites or soy. These ingredients are used as binding agents, to add or preserve flavor, to boost protein, and enhance texture. Some other additives include gums, colorants, preservatives, crab extracts, and MSG. In total, imitation crab is roughly 35-50% surimi, or minced pollock, and about 50-65% added ingredients.
When consumed in excess, highly processed foods like imitation crab can lead to inflammation, decreased vitamin and mineral intake, and increase one’s risk of developing chronic illness. Imitation crab offers an inexpensive, convenient alternative to real crab, but that seems to be this product’s only positive attribute.
Nutrient Analysis: Imitation Crab vs Real Crab
The purpose of imitation crab is to mimic real crab, however, many imitation products are the farthest thing from their original inspiration, nutritionally speaking. Let’s break down the key differences between real crab and imitation crab together.
- The overall consensus is that imitation crab is nutritionally inferior to real crab. This is largely due to the excessive processing that imitation crab undergoes, while real, fresh crab is left in a more natural, less processed state.
- In a ½ cup serving, both imitation crab and real Alaska king crab provide a similar number of calories. It is important to note, however, that the majority of calories in the imitation crab come from carbohydrate, while the majority of calories in Alaska king crab come from protein.
- Real crab is a naturally low carbohydrate food, providing 0 grams per serving. Imitation crab provides roughly 13 grams of carbohydrate per ½ cup serving. Real crab does tend to be higher in sodium and cholesterol than imitation crab, however.
- Imitation crab does provide some nutrients, but little in comparison to real crab. For example, real crab is a good source of heart healthy omega-3 fats, magnesium, folate, and vitamin C, while imitation crab provides some magnesium, but no folate or vitamin C. Furthermore, real crab is high in selenium, copper, zinc, phosphorus, and vitamin B12. Many of these nutrients are lost during processing and as such are not present in large quantities, if at all, in imitation crab.
Is Imitation Crab Keto-Friendly?
In short, imitation crab is not a keto-friendly food. One could argue that all foods can fit into a ketogenic diet as long as total carbohydrate intake does not surpass that which is necessary to remain in ketosis. However, in just one typical serving of imitation crab, there is roughly 14g of carbohydrate. This amount of carbohydrate could easily consume half of one’s allotted carbohydrate allowance for an entire day. Furthermore, imitation crab is highly processed and as such provides little to no nutritional value. In most imitation crab products, the fat content is a whopping 0 grams, making it less than ideal for those following a ketogenic diet. Sticking with real crab or other low-carb shellfish options would be a healthier choice for most individuals.
Imitation Crab Brands: Ingredients and Nutrient Facts
It is always important to evaluate nutrition facts labels of the food products that you consume. Whether you’re a big time imitation crab lover or just curious about this crab stand-in, let’s review some popular imitation crab brands and their nutrient profiles together.
TransOcean Imitation Crab, Flake Style
This brand of imitation crab is touted as the most purchased imitation crab brand, per Amazon’s purchase data. It is certified gluten-free and does use very small amounts of real king crab, blue crab, and snow crab in its product.
Ingredients:
- Alaska Pollock
- Water
- Egg Whites
- Corn Starch
- Sugar
- Sorbitol
- Contains less than 2% of: King Crab Meat, Natural and Artificial Flavor (Extract of Blue Crab, Lobster, and Alaska Pollock), Refined Fish Oil (Anchovy, Sardine), Rice Wine (Water, Rice, Koji), Modified Tapioca Starch, Sea Salt, Carrageenan, Yam Flour, Potassium Chloride, Disodium Inosinate, Sodium Pyrophosphate, Soy Lecithin, Carmine, Paprika, Color Added
Nutritional Information (per ½ cup, 85g):
- Calories: 80
- Total Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Cholesterol: 5mg
- Sodium: 390mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 13g
- Total Sugars: 4g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 6g
Louis Kemp Fresh Imitation Crab, Flake Style
This imitation crab product is also a gluten-free option with a similar nutrient profile compared to other imitation crab brands.
Ingredients:
- Alaska Pollock
- Water
- Potato Starch
- Corn Starch
- Sugar
- Sorbitol
- Egg Whites
- Contains 2% Or Less of: Snow Crab Meat, Mirin Wine (Sake, Sugar, Salt, Water, Yeast Extract), Potassium Chloride, Salt, Artificial Crab Flavor, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Tetra sodium Pyrophosphate, Color Added Carmine, Paprika Oleoresin.
Nutritional Information (per ½ cup, 85g):
- Calories: 80
- Total Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Cholesterol: 10mg
- Sodium: 430mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 14g
- Total Sugars: 3g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 6g
TransOcean Crab Classic, Leg Style
TransOcean brand products all provide roughly the same nutritional profile with relatively low calories, 0g fat, around 14 grams carbohydrate and 6 grams of protein per serving.
Ingredients:
- Alaska Pollock
- Water
- Egg Whites
- Corn Starch
- Sugar
- Sorbitol
- Contains 2% or Less Of: King Crab Meat, Natural and Artificial Flavor (Extracts of Blue Crab, Snow Crab, Lobster, and Alaska Pollock), Refined Fish Oil (Anchovy, Sardine), Rice Wine (Water, Rice, Koji), Modified Tapioca Starch, Sea Salt, Carrageenan, Yam Flour, Potassium Chloride, Disodium Inosinate, Sodium Pyrophosphate, Soy Lecithin, Carmine, Paprika, Color Added
Nutritional Information (per ½ cup, 85g):
- Calories: 90
- Total Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Cholesterol: 10mg
- Sodium: 410mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 14g
- Total Sugars: 4g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 6g
Imitation Crab Alternatives
Some keto-friendly alternatives to imitation crab include other types of shellfish that are low in carbohydrate such as shrimp, lobster, snail, or clams. Let’s review some other alternative options together.
Fresh Alaska King Crab
We, of course, had to include real crab as an alternative, as this would be the best choice in regards to taste, texture, and nutritional value. Alaska crab dose tend to be high in sodium, so this should be taken into consideration prior to consumption. It is important to limit total sodium intake, especially for those with heart conditions or high blood pressure.
Ingredients:
- Wild Caught Alaska King Crab Legs
Nutritional Information (per 1 Leg, 134g):
- Calories: 130
- Total Fat: 2g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Cholesterol: 71mg
- Sodium: 1436mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 0g
- Total Sugars: 0g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 26g
Bumblebee Crabmeat
While perhaps not the freshest option on the market, canned crab meat does provide a convenient, inexpensive option if fresh crab is unavailable. Aside from its high sodium content, this option would be a somewhat healthier choice when compared to imitation crab. It is low in carbohydrate and high in protein, so perfectly suitable for those following a ketogenic diet.
Ingredients:
- Crab Meat
- Water
- Contains Less than 2% of Salt, Sugar, Disodium Pyrophosphate, Citric Acid, Calcium Disodium Edta, Sodium Metabisulfite
Nutritional Information (per ½ cup, 85g):
- Calories: 80
- Total Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Cholesterol: 10mg
- Sodium: 600mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 2g
- Total Sugars: 2g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 16g
Reese Select Hearts of Palm
This alternative option is for those in search of a vegan substitute for imitation crab. Relatively low in carbohydrate, hearts of palm are packed with tons of vitamins, minerals, and offer a similar texture to crab meat.
Ingredients:
- Hearts of Palm
- Water
- Salt
- Citric Acid
Nutritional Information (per ½ cup, 100g):
- Calories: 25
- Total Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
- Sodium: 290mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 5g
- Total Sugars: 0g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 2g
Main Takeaways
Imitation crab is a highly processed food product. It is low in calories and fat, but is high in carbohydrate so it is not considered a keto-friendly food. It is made from surimi and a variety of other added ingredients. It could be argued that these added ingredients create a product relatively devoid of nutrients and a far stretch from actually imitating real crab. When comparing real crab to imitation crab, real crab is nutritionally superior providing substantial vitamins, minerals, protein, and omega-3 fats. Although imitation crab is an inexpensive substitute, real crab is naturally low in carbohydrate, making this the best alternative to imitation crab for those following a ketogenic diet.
Related Questions
Does imitation crab have a high mercury content?
Imitation crab is considered a low-mercury food due to pollock, the main ingredient in most imitation crab products, being a low-mercury fish.
Is imitation crab gluten-free?
Some imitation crab brands are certified gluten-free. It is best practice to read ingredient lists of all imitation crab products as many use gluten-based starch ingredients as binding agents.
Is imitation crab vegetarian?
Imitation crab is not a vegetarian-friendly food item as it is made using real fish.