Fish ? Yes, that's the basics. It is generally blue whiting, Alaska pollock or sea bream. Freshly caught, it is prepared directly on the factory ship to obtain a fish " purée " called " surimi base ".
And what else ? Once ashore, egg whites are added to the fish puree for texture, flour, oil (but little, surimi is rather low in fat), salt (sometimes too much), stabilizers such as sorbitol and, the fish not having too much taste at the base, aromas. In the end, the surimi we buy only contains a maximum of 40% fish.
Is it chemical or is it healthy? In most surimi sticks there is no crab but an aroma (the label says "crab flavor") and for the color it is paprika.
Which one do I take? Lower price brands contain less fish. We therefore prefer Fleury Michon, Coraya and the distributor brands Monoprix and Leader Price, which have a higher percentage of meat (38%).
Thanks to Audrey Aveaux, dietitian-nutritionist, www.nutritionnellement.fr.
