Could I possibly tell imitation lobster from real lobster?
There's a shop in my neighborhood that sells lobster rolls.
Every time that I order one, it's packed with "lobster" meat and a little bit of mayo. At $15, I feel that I am getting a great deal.
But my gut feeling has always told me that this shop uses imitation lobster -- and that it couldn't possibly give that generous of a portion of lobster and still make a profit. I asked them, and they looked at each other, hesitated, and then said, "no, it's not imitation." I figure I need another way of verifying.
Is there some way that I could check the meat to see whether it's real lobster or fake?
I'm curious to know even if it tastes the same, at least for purposes of truth in advertising.
Best Answer
If it is high quality imitation lobster and you are not amongst the highest skilled tasters (few of us are), you won't be able to tell the difference by yourself.
Imitation seafood is made from surimi, which is made from various whitefishes (most often Alaskan Pollock). The surimi is mechanically formed, colored and flavored to look like whatever species they are trying to duplicate. Sometimes the results are amazing. Behind the curtain, this is for crab, but I'm sure lobster is similar:
Handbook of Food Science, Vol 4: For the production of crabmeat analogs the Surimi paste containing the desired additives (with the exception of red colorants) is sheeted in a thin layer and then heat set. After this first heat set, the sheet is scored with the device that looks like a large comb. the sheet is not cut completely through. The scoring forms a long thin strips that resemble crab muscle fibers. Several of these strips are rolled together to form "muscle fiber bundles." These are set and then a portion of the outside surface is colored red with a blend of Surimi and food coloring. The ropes are then cut into logs (approximately 4 inches in length) or into small cylinders or diagonal cut product for salad chunks.
And if the cook lightly shreds the immitation crab, it's extremely hard to tell the difference.
I googled "detecting surimi" and learned that it is not an easy thing to do. There are people trying to do it with mass spectrometry and other complicated lab methods.
I'd say the lobster roll meat is one of:
- it's real (guessing from their reaction to your inquiry, unlikely)
- it's a high quality immitation lobster
- it's canned real lobster (I never tried it)
If you like the sandwich, consider keeping it in your routine.
(a timely question, a surplus of pollock/surimi is on the market, we'll see more of these surimi analogs)
Pictures about "Could I possibly tell imitation lobster from real lobster?"
How can you tell a real lobster from a fake?
If you see a large, red intact claw at least 2 to 3 inches in length, then chances are pretty good that you've got a real lobster that's either from Maine or Europe. But there are dozens of kinds of lobsters and plenty of varieties that don't resemble each other. Langostino lobsters are small and look more like shrimp.Does imitation lobster taste like lobster?
High-quality Imitation Lobster, like our Lobster Delights\xae Chunk Style, tastes almost identical to real lobster, without the hefty price tag.What does imitation lobster taste like?
Imitation lobster will have no variation in taste and texture. It's pretty much going to be the same every time.What do restaurants use for fake lobster?
Imitation lobster meat is a seafood mishmash Sometimes langostino \u2014 a type of crustacean closer to hermit crab than lobster \u2014 also finds its way into the mix. Seafood producers can simply take the fish or langostino as is and slap a lobster label on it.Which Restaurants May Be Serving You Cheap Fish Instead Of Lobster
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