Sushi - Sushi of Other Seafood - Imitation Crab
Imitation Crab
Imitation
crab is steamed white fish with
crab juice added for flavorings. A red food coloring is also added to
mimic the
appearance of boiled crab. Although the term is still widely used, they
used to
be called kani kamaboko or kanikama (crab fish cake), but the name was
ruled
out since it hardly contained any crab, and can mislead consumers. The
imitation crab presently have the official name of kani fumi kamaboko
(crab
flavored fish cake). 
Inside of a imitation crab with several thread
Imitation
crab is used for the California
roll, and
although it is not considered an expensive sushi roll, some care should
be
taken when choosing an imitation crab. The types that have several fish
cake thread bunched together (they break apart like string cheese) are the
best
tasting, since they imitate the muscle fibers of a crab leg. They
should be
very watery (due to added crab juice) as well.
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