Easy summertime Surimi Salad with Curry Mayo Dressing.
What is Surimi?
Before we get to my new favorite salad recipe, I would like to explain what surimi is.
The most common surimi type in this world, and the one used in this recipe post are the imitation crab sticks.
Fish Surimi, lobster and oyster are another common surimi variation.
The orange shaded crab sticks mostly contain a mixture of fish, lobster, oyster, and crabs.
Seafood is washed a gazillion times, beaten and pulverized to create a fine paste.
Some people might argue that surimi is not exactly the best food, but some of them eat other processed foods and of course pink sausage slices, so I don’t see why I should pretend to be a hypocrite when I like to enjoy surimi occasionally.
Where did Surimi originate?
Surimi is not a contemporary food invention.
The practice of drying fish ingredients and turning them into a paste seems to have originated around China and Japan centuries ago.
Nowadays, surimi is popular all over the world and most probably if you have enjoyed sushi, you will have come across surimi.
Surimi Salad with Curry Mayo inspiration
I noticed a difference in surimi quality and the way they were packed and stored in Europe. The surimi sticks in Europe break apart much easier and the flavor intensity is way less. They pack the surimi in pairs and store them in a regular fridge.
I discovered surimi as a child back at home in France. It’s a very popular snack in France and it’s that common there that people have successfully incorporated surimi in salad recipes such as the North African tabbouleh.
This year I even came across big packs of orange surimi crab sticks sold together with a mayo curry dip. It was a scourging hot summer day and before we traveled to the Fort Mahon beach in Picardy, we stopped at a supermarché to buy our picnic beach lunch.
We grabbed a few surimi packets, drove and took over a spot on the beach before we completely enjoyed the surimi.
At the beach, I got the ingenious clairvoyant idea to turn the curry mayo dip into a surimi salad dressing.
How to use Surimi sticks?
Surimi are enjoyed as they are, you don’t cook them further.
You can just dip them into a fitting dipping sauce such as a yogurt lemon dip or a curry mayo dip.
You can cut them into thin strips and make a sandwich (if you want I have a great recipe for that too), or add to raw salads or simply create surimi sushi.
Crab sticks are versatile and they can enhance the flavor dimensions of a dish 3 folds.
If you enjoy fish, prawns, and crabs, and you are curious, you will enjoy this surimi salad with curry mayo dressing too.
My Goan husband loves them too and he keeps on asking me to buy them and add them to our lunch.
Related Recipe:
Did you try the surimi salad recipe?
Surimi Salad with Curry Mayo Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
Salad ingredients:
- 1 Lettuce
- 12 piece Surimi
- 2 Tomatoes
- 1 small Cucumber
For the Curry Mayo:
- 3 Tablespoons Mayonnaise or Homemade Mayo
- 1 Teaspoon Curry powder
Instructions
- Use store bought Mayo or create my 5 minute homemade mayo and then add the curry powder and mix it well.
- For the salad; first rinse, dry and clean the lettuce leafs from any impurities and shred into bite size pieces. Rinse and cut the tomato into half and into thin slices. Rinse, peel and cut cucumber into slices as well.
- Unpack the surimi and cut into smaller pieces. Toss everything together and cover and mix with the curry mayo dressing. Enjoy your salad.
