My wife, Mary Jane, is allergic to crustaceans–they give her gout flareups. But we wondered about the plant-based seafood products. We decided to buy real crabby cakes (above, at left) and taste-test them against Crab Cakes by Sophie’s Kitchen. They are made with Konjac root, pronounced ‘kon-jack’, an ancient Asian staple. The package reads: “Low in calories, high in fiber and sustainable. 100% Plant-based | Non GMO | Soy Free | Gluten Free | Kosher.” I bought some real, frozen crab cakes from Whole Foods .We tasted both products with homemade tartar sauce.
The result? The color of the plant-based product was off, as you can see by the product on the right. It tasted of crab seasoning but not crab. “They don’t taste like anything,” Mary Jane commented. Even the texture was decidedly uncrabby. So this plant-based “seafood” was inferior in appearance, texture, and flavor. The fact that it cost less than real crab did not save this product from getting a grade of “D.”
