Crab sticks are a popular ingredient for salads. They have nothing in common with crabs, but are firmly established in everyday and holiday diets. A diet salad with crab sticks is also possible - you just need to carefully select the ingredients.
In this article we will look at the composition and properties of crab imitation surimi, and the rules for choosing this product. Recipes for low-calorie salads and dietary dressings will allow you to diversify your usual diet menu.
Composition of crab sticks, their benefits and harms
The product has a fairly long composition, which definitely does not mention crabs. The basis of this product is minced fish (surimi). In quality sticks, surimi should make up the majority of the product.
Various varieties of white fish can be used to make it. Manufacturers mainly use pollock, hake, and horse mackerel in the cooking process. It is these species that belong to the white varieties, have a high density and a minimal percentage of fat.
Due to the presence of fish in the composition, the product contains a useful set of microelements in an easy-to-digest form:
- nickel;
- molybdenum;
- fluorine;
- chromium;
- zinc, etc.
This combination of nutrients and fish protein improves brain function, strengthens blood vessels and lowers cholesterol in the blood.
Note! When making surimi, fish fillets are not subjected to heat treatment, so most of the beneficial substances are preserved in their natural form.
The composition of the sticks may also vary depending on the technology and recipe of a particular manufacturer. To significantly improve the aroma and taste characteristics of the product, salt, starch, drinking water and oil are added to the minced fish. The composition may also contain soy, flavor enhancers, sweeteners, artificial stabilizers and dyes, which give the product some resemblance to real crab.
The original taste of the sticks is noticeable only when cold, so they are great for various salads. A correctly chosen product serves as a source of protein and microelements, and therefore can be used in dietary nutrition. However, you should be careful with additional ingredients. The presence of dyes, flavors and other additives of synthetic origin can harm people with allergies, pregnant women and young children.
The product is also not recommended for persons intolerant to soy and fish products.
If used frequently, some dyes and flavors in sticks can harm even healthy people. For example, the presence of cheap imitations of crab meat - additives E160, E171, E420 and E450 - can negatively affect the functioning of the kidneys and liver and increases the risk of allergies.
When producing a quality product, only food coloring is used (for example, carmine or paprika is used for red). In this case, only the outer side is painted.
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How to choose the right one
To select a quality product, you need to pay attention to several basic criteria.
First, pay attention to the packaging - information about the manufacturer, detailed composition, production date, sales dates and storage recommendations must be printed there.
Important! If surimi sticks are sold without their original packaging, they may be a source of harmful microbes. Low-quality goods are most often found in spontaneous markets, where they are sold by weight.
opinion Eating such crab sticks can cause food poisoning (a relatively favorable option) or an infectious disease of the gastrointestinal tract. Often, by consuming such products, you can become infected with salmonellosis. The disease is highly contagious and dangerous to humans. Treatment of the patient should be carried out in an infectious diseases hospital. This is due to the danger to the health of the patient himself and those around him.
Then check the composition: if surimi is listed first, fish forms the basis of the product. If soy or another protein substitute comes first, the benefits of such sticks will be minimal.
Particular attention should be paid to the appearance of the product - the sticks should be neat and even. The main part has a uniform shade, and one side is painted red.
A gray tint indicates that large portions of flour or low-value fish fillets were used in the production process. Yellow color indicates stale raw materials. You should also avoid overly bright coloring, which indicates an excess of dye.
When purchasing in supermarkets, you need to consider the type of crab sticks - chilled or frozen. The former should be located in refrigerated display cases, and the latter - in special freezers.
How to cook a dish
The classic salad with imitation crab is characterized by a simple preparation technique. It uses available products and requires a minimum of time. List of required ingredients:
- crab sticks – 600 grams;
- corn - 2 cans;
- eggs – 6 pieces;
- rice – 100 grams;
- onion – 1 pc.;
- mayonnaise – 200 grams;
- cucumbers – 2 pcs.;
- salt, fresh herbs - add to taste.
Bring 1 liter of water to a boil in a saucepan and add salt. Rinse the rice thoroughly with running water and boil it for 20 minutes. At the same time, stir the cereal to prevent sticking. Place the cooked rice in a sieve and rinse with warm water. Boil the eggs for 10 minutes. For easy cleaning after cooking, place them in cold water.
Peel the crab sticks from individual packaging and cut into small cubes. Peel the eggs and then chop in the same way. Also cut the washed cucumbers into cubes.
Finely chop half the onion. This ingredient is not necessary in the salad, but it is what gives it extra juiciness. Place the corn in a sieve until all the liquid has drained. Next, combine all the ingredients in a deep container and season them with mayonnaise, add salt and herbs to taste. Let the salad soak for about 1-2 hours before serving.
Note! The calorie content of a classic salad is about 525 calories for every 100 grams. This dish is quite heavy on the stomach and does not comply with the principles of proper nutrition. For your diet, you should choose low-calorie salad options without mayonnaise (with alternative dressings).
With Chinese cabbage and crab sticks and tomatoes
Crab salad with Chinese cabbage will delight not only lovers of snacks with an unusual fresh taste, but even those who are watching their figure, because cabbage is rich in fiber, which is very beneficial for the body. In this case, mayonnaise can be replaced with sour cream sauce or yogurt, and then the salad will become completely dietary, but will retain that delicate taste of everyone’s favorite ingredient.
Ingredients
- Crab sticks - 200 g
- Tomato - 1 pc.
- Beijing cabbage - 200 g
- Egg - 2 pcs.
- Mayonnaise - 150 g
- Salt - to taste
- Pepper - to taste
Servings - 4 Cooking time - 15 minutes
We prepare the products. Wash the tomato. If you want to reduce the number of calories in the salad, mayonnaise can be replaced with sour cream sauce. To do this, beat the sour cream with finely grated garlic, add a little salt and add pepper. Instead of crab sticks, you can use crab meat, which will make the taste of the salad even richer. In addition, crab meat is natural and does not contain preservatives, unlike crab sticks. Finely chop the Chinese cabbage and pour it into a deep container. Season it a little and add a pinch of sugar so that it releases the juice. You can also knead it with your hands. We choose small Chinese cabbage, because large fruits contain a large amount of water and have absolutely no taste, which is why we add it to such a classic salad.
Cut the tomato into small cubes.
Place the pan on the fire and pour water into it. Let the water boil and drop the eggs into it. Add water so they don't burst. Cook the eggs for 10-15 minutes. When the time is up, fill them with cold water to make it easier to clean later. Let the eggs cool. If you cut them while hot, they will stick together and look unsightly. Cut the eggs into small cubes and add to the tomatoes.
Finely chop the crab sticks into cubes and add to the rest of the ingredients.
Now add cabbage to the salad, season with mayonnaise, mix well and add a little salt to taste. Sometimes cubes of peeled sweet apple are added. This gives the dish a nice sweet flavor and enriches the flavor of the salad.
Low-calorie dressings - an alternative to mayonnaise
Sour cream sauce with mustard
A delicate sauce with mustard will add piquancy and a slight spiciness to the salad. To prepare it you will need the following ingredients:
- boiled yolks – 2 pcs.;
- sour cream – 200 grams;
- mustard – 1 tbsp. l.;
- salt - add to taste.
Grind the egg yolks and sour cream, mix them with other ingredients. Blend everything thoroughly with a blender (about 30 seconds) for an airy texture.
Use sour cream with reduced fat content: this will help reduce the overall calorie content of the dish.
With cottage cheese
An interesting dressing option for a delicious salad. To prepare this sauce you will need:
- yogurt – 200 ml;
- cottage cheese – 200 grams;
- boiled yolks – 2 pcs.;
- mustard – 2 tsp;
- lemon juice – 1 tbsp. l.;
- salt - add to taste.
Gently mix all prepared ingredients and beat thoroughly. After 2-3 minutes of whipping, a thick sauce should emerge, which in consistency will be similar to classic mayonnaise.
Important! In this recipe, you can use kefir instead of yogurt.
Yogurt sauce with lemon
A delicate yogurt-based sauce complements the taste of the dish. Required list of ingredients:
- natural yogurt – 200 ml;
- lemon juice – 1 tbsp. l.;
- garlic – 1 clove;
- salt, ground pepper - add to taste.
Using a food processor or blender, beat the yogurt with lemon juice (no more than 1 minute). Next, chop the garlic and add it along with the spices to the yogurt. Mix everything and cool for 30-40 minutes in the refrigerator.
Lemon dressing
A gentle version of the dressing based on olive oil and lemon juice. It gives the salad a special piquant taste. List of basic ingredients:
- unrefined olive oil – 100 ml;
- lemon juice – 100 ml;
- cream – 1 tbsp. l.;
- sugar – 0.5 tsp;
- salt, fresh herbs - add to taste.
Mix the prepared ingredients and blend with a kitchen blender. Next, add chopped herbs to the sauce and stir again. The dressing should be prepared right before serving.
Crab salad
- Open the can of corn and drain the liquid.
- Hard boil the eggs, cool and peel. Cut them, crab sticks and onions into small cubes.
- Combine eggs, onions and crab sticks with corn in a salad bowl.
- Boil the rice in salted water until tender, cool and place in a salad bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
- Grate the apple on a coarse grater and add to the salad.
- Grease with mayonnaise and mix.
- Let the salad sit in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.
- When serving, garnish with dill.
Crab Salad recipe ingredients:
- Crab sticks - 200 gr.
- Canned corn - 235 gr.
- Rice - 200 gr.
- Onions - 20 gr.
- Mayonnaise - 100 gr.
- Apple - 100 gr.
- Egg - 240 gr.
- Salt - 4 gr.
- Dill - 10 gr.
Nutritional value of the dish “Crab Salad” (per 100 grams):
Calories: 196.3 kcal.
Carbohydrates: 22.5 g.
This is a custom recipe, so there may be errors and typos. If you find them, please write them in the comments below the recipe and we will correct them.
Step-by-step recipes with photos from our website are in the “Recipes” section.
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Recipe options without mayonnaise
With Chinese cabbage (calorie content – 88 kcal per 100 grams)
A light and delicate salad with Chinese cabbage leaves will complement any meal or become the main dish. Required ingredients:
- crab sticks – 200 grams;
- Chinese cabbage – 150 grams;
- eggs – 2 pcs.;
- onion greens – 30 grams;
- olive oil – 1 tbsp. l.;
- soy sauce - add to taste.
First, boil the eggs hard, cool, peel and then chop. Finely chop the crab sticks, cabbage leaves and onions. Mix all ingredients, season the salad with oil and soy sauce. This dish should be served immediately after cooking, before the Chinese cabbage softens.
With cucumber and yogurt (59 kcal per 100 grams of dish)
This recipe resembles a traditional salad as much as possible in taste, but differs in dietary composition. Products for cooking:
- crab sticks – 200 grams;
- eggs – 2 pcs.;
- cucumbers – 2 pcs.;
- yogurt without sweeteners - 2-3 tbsp. l.;
- onion greens – 30 grams;
- dill – 30 grams;
- salt - add to taste.
First boil the eggs and then finely chop all the listed ingredients. Add salt to the resulting salad and season it with yogurt. If desired, fresh cucumbers can be replaced with pickled ones for a more piquant taste.
With rice (87 calories per 100 grams of dish)
A light and nutritious salad that you can safely eat on a diet. Required Products:
- crab sticks – 200 grams;
- corn – 100 grams;
- rice – 50 grams;
- onion – 1 pc.;
- salt, ground pepper - add to taste.
For such a dish, the best option is long steamed rice - after boiling it will be crumbly even without a portion of oil. First, boil the cereal in boiling water (the proportion is 1 part rice to 1.5 parts liquid). Then mix the corn, chopped sticks, onion and spices. You can use 1-2 tbsp as a dressing. l. liquid from canned corn.
With mushrooms (calories: 84 kcal per 100 grams)
An unusual combination of imitation crabs and mushrooms diversifies the taste of traditional blue. For cooking you will need:
- crab sticks – 200 grams;
- pickled champignons – 150 grams;
- rice – 50 grams;
- parsley - a small bunch;
- low fat sour cream – 2 tbsp. l.;
- salt, ground pepper - add to taste.
Boil the rice as usual. In one bowl, mix chopped sticks, mushrooms, herbs and spices. Season the resulting salad with sour cream.
Note! Marinated mushrooms can be replaced with stewed ones - the taste of the salad will be brighter and richer.
With cottage cheese (55 calories per 100 grams)
A spicy salad with the addition of cottage cheese can be prepared for a diet. Required list of ingredients:
- crab sticks – 200 grams;
- low-fat cottage cheese – 200 grams;
- fresh cucumbers – 2-3 pcs.;
- dill – 30 grams;
- garlic – 3 cloves;
- low fat sour cream – 2 tbsp. l.;
- table salt - add to taste.
The choice of cottage cheese for a dish depends on personal preferences - you can use a grainy or soft version. To prepare the salad, mix cottage cheese, chopped cucumbers and sticks. Then chop the garlic, mix it with sour cream and let it brew for about 10-15 minutes. Then the sauce can be thoroughly mixed with chopped dill and added to the salad base.
With mozzarella and tomatoes (71 calories per 100 grams)
The original version of the recipe with crab imitation will decorate any table. List of ingredients:
- crab sticks – 200 grams:
- mozzarella – 50 grams;
- cherry tomatoes – 10 pieces;
- lettuce leaves – 100 grams;
- unrefined olive oil – 2 tbsp. l.;
- soy sauce – 1 tbsp. l.
To begin, cut the cheese into small pieces, chop the crab sticks, lettuce and tomatoes. Add oil and soy sauce to the ingredients, mix well.
In this recipe, you can experiment with different types of salad, use fresh arugula for variety.
With apple (contains 55 kcal per 100 grams)
A variation of the salad with the addition of an apple is perfect for your diet. Required Products:
- crab sticks – 0.25 kg;
- corn – 200 grams;
- cucumbers – 4 pcs.;
- apple – 1 pc.;
- dill – 50 grams;
- lemon – 0.5 pcs.;
- table salt - add to taste.
A firm and tart apple is best for this recipe. Grate the washed fruit on a coarse grater, mix the pulp with chopped cucumbers, sticks and corn. Next, finely chop the dill (you can also take parsley) and add to the other ingredients, add salt and sprinkle with lemon juice.
to me. Those who want to enjoy the taste of salad with crab sticks and get a minimum amount of calories can omit rice from the recipe. The taste characteristics of the dish will not be affected by this (some people like the option without rice even much more than with it), but the calorie content will be reduced to a minimum. Of course, this is only possible if you use dietary dressings and low-calorie dish ingredients.
Salad with crab sticks without corn
This is one of the variations of “Crab” salad. In the classic recipe for this salad, corn is a must, but without it it turns out no less tasty, especially if you brighten up the absence of the ingredient with crispy cabbage. Lightness, freshness and unobtrusive crunch make it a worthy replacement for the classic recipe.
Ingredients for 2 servings - 220 g
- Crab sticks 150 g
- Peking cabbage 2 pcs
- Chicken egg 100 g
- Cucumbers 65 g
- Mayonnaise 10 g
- Dill 1 g
- Salt
Step by step recipe
Preparation
It is advisable to purchase crab sticks fresh, not frozen. If you use frozen ones, you need to defrost them first.
Step 1
Cut crab sticks and cucumber into cubes.
Step 2
Rinse the Chinese cabbage and greens. Chop the cabbage into strips and finely chop the greens.
Step 3
Boil the eggs hard, cool, peel and cut into cubes.
Step 4
Combine the prepared ingredients in a salad bowl, season with mayonnaise and mix. Add salt to taste.
The “crab” salad without corn turned out to be no less bright and interesting. Before serving, you can decorate it with any greenery.
Tips for the recipe
- To make the salad with crab sticks without corn more satisfying and increase its volume, you can add boiled rice.
- Greens are not a mandatory ingredient; they are added as desired to give the salad freshness.
Main conclusions
Crab sticks have become the basis of a popular salad in the post-Soviet space. This ingredient consists of minced fish and a set of additional ingredients. To make the dish as tasty and healthy as possible, pay special attention to the choice of crab imitation:
- It is best to purchase a packaged product - this prevents the ingress of third-party microorganisms;
- high-quality sticks should have a neat reddish color on only one side;
- the description of the original product provides detailed information about the manufacturer, production date and storage conditions;
- The basis of the product should be minced fish fillet (surimi), which is listed first in the composition.
The classic salad with crab sticks is high in calories. When on a diet, you should use low-calorie recipes with light dressings.
Do you like crab salad? Share your favorite dish recipe that can be used for weight loss!
Salad with Chinese cabbage and crab sticks and corn
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Ingredients:
- 300 g Chinese cabbage
- 200 g crab sticks
- 1 can (340 g) corn
- green onions
- parsley
- dill
- sunflower oil
- salt to taste
How to prepare a delicious salad with crab sticks and corn:
- First you need to thinly chop 300 grams of Chinese cabbage. We take the amount of cabbage according to your taste. If you want the cabbage to be juicier, you can soak it in water for 30 minutes.
- Next, we will cut 200 grams of crab sticks into cubes.
- Then you need to finely chop 1 bunch of green onions, parsley and dill.
- When all the ingredients are ready, place them in a large bowl.
- Mix the salad thoroughly. Add sunflower oil and salt to taste. Place the salad in a salad bowl. That's all.
Our Salad with crab sticks, Chinese cabbage and corn is ready. A tasty, light, non-greasy, and most importantly healthy salad, suitable for every day and for holidays. Enjoy your meal!
