Does imitation crab taste like the real thing?

It doesn't taste like crabmeat to me and is less tasty heated.

I prefer it in cold seafood salads, but to dunk hot in butter is not so savory. The main ingredient is pollack, a flaky white fish. It's not as sweet as crab either, but like others have said here, it is a decent substitute.

I definitely doesn't taste like REAL crab meat. It has it's own sort of taste that's a tiny bit sweet, but pretty blend. It does smell like rubber if you smell the raw imitated crab by itself, but I wouldn't say it tastes like rubber unless someone has tried eating rubber before and they actually know. I remember buying a lot of imitated crab before for sushi. Some were from Asian stores and some were from Wal Mart. The ones I bought from a Chinese store nearby didn't turn out very good. The texture was grainy and they fell off easily. When I tried frying them they would stick to pan that is suppose to be a non-stick pan. As for the ones from Wal Mart, they were less frozen and seemed more fresh, not that they're ever fresh since they're normally made in factories. So the ones from Wal Mart were a lot softer, but weren't exactly chewy and weren't really grainy and there was less rubbery smell. So the imitated crab meated that has been frozened for some time probably wouldn't taste as good. Overall I would recommend you to just go eat real boiled crab legs at a Chinese buffet or something. They're usually always really good, unless the Chef puts too much salt into the boiling water or something -_-

Is Imitation Crab Real Crab

No. But it is a decent fish/shellfish alternative. The imitation crab is made from fish (haddock or other whit fish) and sometimes a small amount of actual crab is used. But they also add sugar so it can be sweet.

The purpose for the imitation crab is to make it affordable to more people. But more importantly is as a substitute for those who are allergic to shellfish.

I get when it is on sale because I love seafoods and sweets. (bit of a strange combo)

Enjoy

It does have similarities, especially the higher quality ones but flat outright, real crab meat is better.. but you can still achieve great taste with the imitation too...

It doesn't taste the same, imitation crab is actually sweet. That's why I love it because it doesn't have a very fishy taste!

It taste real enough for me. I only use it in salads though. I don't think it would taste real if dipped in butter, but that's just my opinion. You have to try it for yourself.

I have the same attitude toward imitation crab that I do toward tofu/vegan deli slices: tasty in their own right, but not convincing.

It's OK but still not thr same as real crab

there ok with melted butter for a while but then they get funny tasting