Crab stick
Japanese surimi product shaped to resemble crab leg meat.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Crab sticks—also sold as krab sticks, snow legs, imitation crab meat, or seafood sticks—are a Japanese product made from surimi (finely ground whitefish) mixed with starch. The mixture is shaped and processed to mimic the leg meat of snow crab or Japanese spider crab, using fish to stand in for shellfish. In Japanese, they’re called *kanikama*, a blend of *kani* (“crab”) and *kamaboko* (“fish cake”).
The Japanese company Sugiyo first created and patented imitation crab flesh in 1974, producing it as a flake type. The following year, Osaki Suisan developed and patented the stick form. In 1977, The Berelson Company of San Francisco, California, working with Sugiyo, introduced the product internationally. While *kanikama* remains the common name in Japan, it’s marketed abroad as Krab Sticks, Ocean Sticks, Sea Legs, or Imitation Crab Sticks. Because they usually contain no actual crab, many places now legally restrict labeling them as “Crab Sticks.”
Most modern crab sticks are made from Alaska pollock (*Gadus chalcogrammus*) from the North Pacific Ocean. This main ingredient is often combined with fillers like wheat and egg white (albumen), or binding agents such as the enzyme transglutaminase. Crab flavor—natural or, more often, artificial—is added, and the outside is coated with red food coloring.
Crab sticks are used in sushi, salads, fried in tempura, and many other dishes.
- origin
- Japan
- first produced
- 1974 (flake type by Sugiyo); 1975 (stick type by Osaki Suisan)
- main ingredient
- Alaska pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus)
- common name in Japan
- kanikama
- international marketing names
- Krab Sticks, Ocean Sticks, Sea Legs, Imitation Crab Sticks
Lore & Background
The Japanese company Sugiyo first produced and patented imitation crab flesh in 1974 as kanikama, a flake type. The following year, in 1975, the company Osaki Suisan first produced and patented imitation crab sticks. In 1977, The Berelson Company of San Francisco, California, US, working with Sugiyo, introduced them internationally. Kanikama remains their common name in Japan, but internationally they are marketed under names including Krab Sticks, Ocean Sticks, Sea Legs and Imitation Crab Sticks. Legal restrictions now prevent them from being marketed as 'Crab Sticks' in many places, as they usually do not have crab flesh.
Reader's Guide
Crab sticks represent a significant innovation in seafood processing, transforming inexpensive whitefish into a product that mimics the texture and appearance of premium shellfish. Their development in Japan during the mid-1970s by Sugiyo and Osaki Suisan, followed by international introduction in 1977 through a partnership with The Berelson Company, made them a globally accessible ingredient. Today, most crab sticks are made from Alaska pollock of the North Pacific Ocean, often mixed with fillers such as wheat and egg white, or binding ingredients like transglutaminase. Crab flavoring—natural or artificial—is added, and a layer of red food coloring is applied to the outside. Their versatility in dishes such as sushi, salads, and tempura has cemented their place in cuisines worldwide. Legal restrictions on labeling reflect ongoing debates about product authenticity, as they usually contain no crab flesh.
Did You Know?
- Crab sticks are made from surimi, which is pulverized whitefish, and starch.
- The Japanese name kanikama is a portmanteau of kani ('crab') and kamaboko ('fish cake').
- The first imitation crab flesh was a flake type patented by Sugiyo in 1974.
- Legal restrictions in many places prevent crab sticks from being marketed as 'Crab Sticks' because they usually do not contain crab flesh.
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