Spring break serves up fresh opportunity for real seafood

Kristin's Kitchen
Wednesday, 04 March 2009
Source: theapp.appstate.edu

A few years ago, I was in the sand digging a huge hole: a perfectly innocent activity.

As I was digging out one of the walls with a brightly colored, plastic "scooper," a little black blinking thing popped out at me, followed by an orange pincher.

The next thing I knew, this entire creature squeezed itself out of this tiny hole and scuttled up the side of my ditch, its shelled arms immediately in fight position, pacing back and forth tapping its pincers.

Amazed at its defensiveness, I knew it was scared I wanted it for dinner.

I smiled widely, and looked at the seagulls swarming overhead, wishing one would come down and take that beady-eyed little guy.

I'm not the only one who wanted him for dinner!

Yes, my friends, seafood is truly the chicken of the sea, and more research is released every year about its dietary importance.

Though this little mountain town seems to be the furthest possible distance from the coast, our grocery stores do offer a variety of fairly fresh seafood. Granted, it's not always the cheapest, but sales do happen, people.

This Spring Break, though, I encourage you to eat some fresh crab or seafood on your long-awaited beach trips.

It may be expensive there, but guaranteed even fresher. You should be able to splurge, just this one week, and I project that it will be worth the extra bucks.

The 2005 version of the Food Guide Pyramid newly emphasized the importance of fish in the diet, recommending two to three servings each week.

A 5-ounce steamed Alaskan king crab leg is packed with 26 grams of protein, 130 calories, zero carbohydrates and about 2 grams of fat, according to healthnotes.com.

Though fiber is nonexistent, it contains at least 20 percent of daily-recommended selenium amounts and between 10 to 20 percent of daily-recommended magnesium, vitamin B6 and folate.

This is a perfect alternative to high-fat meats like beef or pork, and even though it's not quite a juicy tenderloin or burger, it can be equally tasty and less heavy on the stomach.

While the highest omega-3 counts lie in salmon and tuna, crabmeat is a more rare, succulent treat we can't find in the stores very often during the early part of the year for a reasonable price.

And few can argue its unparalleled flavor and texture when compared to the imitation alternatives found in our local markets.

In reality, imitation crabmeat isn't going to hurt you, even though it's the processed form of the real thing. It actually provides very similar health benefits.

According to Crab Classic 3 chunk style's package,

"Supportive but not conclusive research shows that consumption of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. One serving of Crab Classic 3 provides 0.4 grams of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids."

It also contains 8 grams protein, 90 calories, zero trans fat and saturated fat and only 1.5 grams total fat in a half-cup serving. The catch, though, is it contains 12 grams of carbohydrates unlike its fresh counterpart, 410 milligrams of sodium and 5 grams sugar per serving.

Also known as surimi, Japanese meaning 'minced fish,' the imitation is used in many Japanese and Asian dishes, including sushi.

Some say imitation crab tastes almost identical, while some say there's no comparison. That you must decide for yourself.

To me, it's a funky sweet, mildly fishy item resembling the rubbery consistency and look of that processed string cheese stuff, but white.

The reality is imitation crab is not actually made from crab, but from lean, white-fleshed fish such as Alaskan polluck, a cheaper alternative. Manufacturers remove the bones, finely chop the fish and continually rinse it to create a firm fish paste, according to mothernature.com. Yum!

They then add a variety of sugars, sorbitol, egg whites, starch and artificial colorings to make it appear and taste more like crabmeat. Some brands, like Crab Classic, do use very trace amounts of crab.

According to the label, the chunk Crab Classic contains less than two percent king crab meat. Under allergy information, it lists Alaskan polluck, salmon, anchovy, sardine, tuna, cutlass fish, oyster, lobster, scallop and shrimp as additional ingredients.

For something that's supposed to be crab, that sounds pretty darn close, don't you think?

Benefits however, are that it can be frozen for months and is available year-round, according to the Mother Nature website. And as we all know, the last thing we would want to do is eat fresh crab leftover.

But, while you're out on your Spring Break soaking up the Vitamin D, smelling the salty surf and listening to the light clucking and flapping of those seagulls taking dives in the wind, take advantage of the most enjoyable sense: taste.

Order up that slightly salty, slightly sweet, melt-in-your-mouth REAL crabmeat retrieved straight from the sea and take a break from the more affordable, rubbery processed stuff.

Don't get me wrong- you can eat the fake version, but this is a win-win. The real thing not only tastes better, but it's better for you!

And for those of you who've never liked the fishy stuff? Crab meat is a great place to start. It's one of the less fishy options in taste and smell, and a very mild-tasting shellfish.

If you don't care for the pure taste and prefer it mixed with other ingredients, ask for a buttery crab cake or creamy crab dip to try at your favorite seaside restaurant.

So don't let that little armed crustacean scurrying across the sand intimidate you; it just knows you want to eat it.

For some good tips on how to prepare your own fresh crab, visit http://www.puritan.com/vf/healthnotes/HN_live/Food_Guide/Crabs.htm.