The Truth About The 'Crab' In Your California Roll

Sushi has become increasingly popular over the years. One common gateway dish into the deep sea of sushi, especially for Americans, is the California roll. The term California roll (which was added to Merriam-Webster's dictionary just this year) refers to a makizushi sushi roll, usually made with rice on the outside, containing cucumber, avocado, and crab meat. Now, we like to think that we're getting what is displayed on the menu, but the reality is that that crab meat that you often think of as so pure, pink and delicious may not actually be what it advertises itself as, at all.

Imitation crab meat (known in Japanese as surimi) is primarily made from pollock fish, but it can also contain fillers and flavorings such as egg whites, sugar, and crab flavoring.  Surimi has been made in Japan for centuries and is frequently used in all kinds of dishes. So yeah, don't be fooled by that pink outer shell of your crab meat — you're basically eating fish parts, carbs, and sugar. On the bright side, it's keeping our oceans a little healthier by reducing the overfishing of crabs.

Surimi is used in the vast majority of California rolls, and it can also be found in other dishes such as crab salad. If you're looking for the real deal, you may have to dig a little deeper than your corner sushi place — often only really high-end sushi restaurants serve real crab in California rolls. Whatever you choose to do, keep in mind that you might want to take a second look at what's _really_ in that beautifully presented roll.