Crab sticks are processed sea food made of surimi (or most of the time finely pulverized white fish flesh). It is shaped and cured to resemble snow crab legs. They are usually coloured red and rectangular-oblong in shape. Small strings of the crab sticks can be neatly pulled and torn out in a similar manner to string cheese. The smell of crab sticks is similar to seafood products, having a sweet, salty and highly umami taste. Crab sticks are cooked in its curing process and they can be eaten directly from a package.
Process
First, lean meat from fish is separated or minced. In order to eliminate undesirable odours, the meat may then be rinsed several times. The resulting meat is then beaten and pulverized to form a gelatinous paste. The gelatinous paste is mixed with differing proportions of additives such as starch, egg white, salt, sugar, vegetable oil, sorbitol, soy protein and seasonings, depending on the desired texture and flavour of the final product If the surimi is to be packed and frozen, food-grade cryoprotectants 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.