Surimi

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A tub of uncured fish surimi ready for further processing

Surimi (Japanese: 擂り身, lit. "ground meat", also called kani, Chinese: 魚漿; pinyin: yú jiāng; literally "fish puree or slurry") is a Japanese loan word referring to a food product intended to mimic the meat of lobster, crab, and other shellfish. It is typically made from white-fleshed fish (such as pollock or hake) that has been pulverized to a paste and attains a rubbery texture when cooked. The term is also commonly applied to food products made from lean meat prepared in a similar process.

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. Such a product often is sold as sea legs and krab in America, and as seafood sticks, crab sticks, fish sticks or seafood extender in Commonwealth nations.

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[edit] History

The process for making surimi was developed in many areas of East Asia over 900 years ago.[citation needed] In Japan, it is used in the making of kamaboko or cured surimi products. The industrialized surimi-making process was developed in 1969 by Nishitani Yōsuke of Japan's Hokkaidō Fisheries Experiment Institute to process the increased catch of fish, to revitalize Japan's fish industry, and to make use of what previously was considered "fodder fish".[citation needed]

[edit] Production

Lean meat from fish or land animals first is separated or minced. The meat then is rinsed numerous times to eliminate undesirable odors. The result is 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, humectants, sorbitol, sugar, soy protein, seasonings, and chemical enhancers such as transglutaminases and monosodium glutamate (MSG).

If the surimi is to be packed and frozen, food-grade cryoprotectants are added as preservatives while the meat paste is being mixed.[1][2] Under most circumstances, surimi is processed immediately, formed and cured into surimi products when it is produced.

[edit] Fish surimi

Typically the resulting paste, depending on the type of fish and whether it was rinsed in the production process, is tasteless and must be flavored artificially. According to the USDA Food Nutrient Database 16-1, fish surimi contains about 76% water, 15% protein, 6.85% carbohydrate, 0.9% 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).

The fish used to make surimi include:

[edit] Meat surimi

Although seen less commonly in Japanese and Western markets, pork surimi (肉漿) is a common product found in a wide array of Chinese foods. The process of making pork surimi is similar to making fish surimi except that leaner cuts of meat are used and the rinsing process is omitted. Pork surimi is made into pork balls (Chinese: gòng wán; 貢丸) which, when cooked, have a texture similar to fish balls, but are much firmer and denser.

Pork surimi also is mixed with flour and water to make a type of dumpling wrapper called "yèn pí" (燕皮 or 肉燕皮) that has the similar firm and bouncy texture of cooked surimi.

Beef surimi also can be shaped into a ball form to make "beef balls" (牛肉丸). When beef surimi is mixed with chopped beef tendons and formed into balls, "beef tendon balls"( 牛筋丸) are produced. Both of these products commonly are used in Chinese hot pot as well as served in Vietnamese "phở".

The surimi process also is used in the making of turkey products. It is employed in manufacturing products such as turkey burgers, turkey sausage, turkey pastrami, turkey franks, turkey loafs, and turkey salami.

[edit] Uses and products

Foods made from surimi: artificial "crab legs" and "shrimp"

Surimi is a useful ingredient for producing various kinds of processed foods. It allows a manufacturer to imitate the texture and taste of a more expensive product such as lobster tail, using a relatively low-cost material. Surimi is an inexpensive source of protein.

In Asian cultures, surimi is eaten as a food product in its own right and seldom is used to imitate other foods. In Japan fish cakes (kamaboko) and fish sausages, as well as other extruded fish products commonly are sold as cured surimi.

In Chinese cuisine, fish surimi, often called "fish paste," is used directly as stuffing or made into balls. In addition, balls made from lean beef (牛肉丸, lit. "beef ball") and pork surimi often are seen in Chinese cuisine. Fried, steamed, and boiled surimi products also are found commonly in Southeast Asian cuisine.

In the West, surimi products usually are imitation seafood products, such as crab, abalone, shrimp, calamari, and scallop. Several companies, however, do produce surimi sausages, luncheon meats, hams, and burgers. Some examples include: Salmolux salmon burgers and SeaPak surimi ham,salami, and 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. Surimi also is used to manufacture kosher imitation shrimp and crabmeat, using only kosher fish such as pollock.

[edit] Chemistry of surimi curing

The curing of the fish paste is caused by the polymerization of myosin when heated. The species of fish is the most important factor that affects this curing process.[3] Many pelagic fish with higher fat contents lack that kind of heat-curing myosin, hence they are not suitable for making surimi.

Certain kinds of fish, such as the Pacific whiting, can not form firm surimi without further alteration. The surimi maker has to add egg white or potato starch into the fish paste to increase its strength. Before the outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), it was an industrial practice to add bovine blood plasma into the fish paste to help its curing or gel-forming. Today some manufacturers may use a transglutaminase to improve the texture of surimi.

[edit] List of surimi foods

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Making of Surimi (illustrated, in Japanese)
  2. ^ The Evolution of the Surimi-Making Process (1961/1970/current) (in Japanese)
  3. ^ Thermally-induced interactions in fish muscle proteins (Why does surimi form a gel?)

[edit] External links

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