If you want to go big at a seafood restaurant, you really can't go wrong with lobster. This
crustacean is king of the seafood menu. People love its tender and sweet claw and tail meat,
particularly when dipped in butter. Depending on where your meal is coming from, though,
you may not always be getting the real deal.
Imitation lobster meat tends to be a lot cheaper than real lobster, and is often a go-to for
seafood restaurants looking to save a few bucks. According to some reviews we found
at the Herald-Tribune, it can even, quote, "rival the real thing." So perhaps it's not
all bad. What is it though, and how common is it?
What makes up imitation lobster can vary by maker and locale, but the Today show reports
that often this phony meat is a seafood hodgepodge consisting of Alaskan pollock, whiting, or
haddock. For example, a test of the lobster salad roll at Nathan's Famous in Coney Island,
Brooklyn, revealed that it wasn't lobster at all, but whiting.
Sometimes langostino — a type of shellfish closer to hermit crab or shrimp than lobster
— also finds its way into the mix.
"So what is langostino? This is a langostino, and it looks nothing like a lobster."
Even so, seafood producers can simply take the fish or langostino as is and slap a lobster
label on it. To make the fish meat have a similar taste and consistency of lobster,
seafood manufacturers put it through a process to make what's known as "surimi."
According to The Chicago Tribune, to make surimi, fish is completely skinned, deboned,
and washed. After that, seasonings like sugar and salt are added in until the fish is a
lot less fishy. Perhaps the biggest thing that makes all the difference is that in some
brands, there is a portion of actual lobster meat in imitation lobster. In those cases,
manufacturers add around 17 percent pulverized, real lobster meat into the mix. It may not
be a lot, but it helps give the meat the genuine lobster taste. After that, red food dye is
added, and the meat is machine shaped into the form of a lobster tail.
There's a pretty good chance that you've ordered what you thought was real lobster and actually
gotten imitation lobster meat instead. According to a report from Inside Edition, a whopping
35 percent of samples from 28 different seafood restaurants around the United States were
found to have fake lobster meat. The fake lobster meat was found everywhere from mom
and pop seafood restaurants to chain giants like Red Lobster.
When asked why Red Lobster would use imitation lobster in some of its dishes, a statement
from the company read,
"Red Lobster understands that the seasonality and availability of lobster can fluctuate,
so our Lobster Bisque can contain meat from Maine lobster, langostino lobster, or, in
some cases, a combination of both. Inside Edition's test was a matter of what we call
'the luck of the ladle' and both types of lobster provide the bisque with a rich, sweet
taste that our guests love."
They conveniently left "fake" out of this list, huh?
"If you like your lobster wild-caught, butter-poached, roasted, sauteed, fire-grilled or creamy,
then it's time to get to Red Lobster!"
While paying for what one thinks is real lobster, but is, in fact, not, might rub customers
the wrong way, this meat can actually be great for home cooking, as fake lobster meat works
really well for dishes where there are other flavors at play. A lobster tail with butter
is going to be the star of the show, but the meat's flavor may not be as prominent in something
like a salad or dip. This is where imitation lobster can be a great alternative — even
if it's mixed in along with real lobster.
The Herald-Tribune recommends mixing it with mayo and crunchy veggies like celery for lobster
rolls, or cooking it in a tomato sauce to pour over fettuccine for a seafood pasta dish.
It can also be a great choice for a quick dish like lobster cakes.
So imitation lobster can be useful, the meat may taste pretty close to the real thing,
and it will certainly be a lot cheaper. But unfortunately, according to the Associated
Press, it does have an environmental downside. While this phony seafood meat may be convenient,
it takes a lot of water to make the stuff, and that can be pretty wasteful.
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