Louis Kemp Crab Delights Review
One of the best-known names in the American refrigerated case. Who makes it, what the label says, and where it works.
The short version: Crab Delights is a mainstream American refrigerated surimi — soft, mildly sweet, ready to eat, and sold in flake, chunk and leg styles. It works best as a recipe ingredient in creamy, dressed and baked dishes. The standard flake style lists wheat starch, so it is not a gluten-free choice, and like most surimi it contains fish and egg.
How this review works: it is a buyer’s guide built from the manufacturer’s published ingredient list, certifications and label information (checked October 2026) plus the general characteristics of each surimi style. It is not a laboratory test, and we do not publish star ratings. Formulas change — the package in your hand outranks this page.
The brand behind the label
The brand traces back to Louis Kemp of Duluth, Minnesota, whose Kemp Foods began making surimi crab products in 1985. The business was sold to Oscar Mayer in 1987, later passed through Tyson Foods and other owners, and the Louis Kemp products are now made and sold by Trident Seafoods, the Seattle-based seafood company that also fishes and processes Alaska pollock.
What the label says
A typical Crab Delights flake-style ingredient list: fish protein (pollock and/or whiting), water, wheat starch, sugar, potato starch, sorbitol, mirin, egg whites, salt, soybean oil, natural and artificial crab flavor, and modified starch, among smaller items. Some newer Louis Kemp lines use different starches, so read the specific package if gluten matters.
The label nutrition filed with USDA FoodData Central for the 85 g (3 oz) serving of Crab Delights lists about 80 calories, 6 g protein, 14 g carbohydrate, 3 g sugars and 430 mg sodium — squarely in the normal range for imitation crab (category figures).
Taste, texture and best uses
Like other American refrigerated surimi, Crab Delights is softer and sweeter than Japanese-style frozen kanikama, with strands that break rather than pull into long fibers. That makes it a natural fit for:
- Deli seafood salad — flake style is the traditional deli cut.
- Hot crab dip and crab rangoon, where cream cheese does the structural work.
- Pasta and mac and cheese, folded in at the end.
It is less suited to jobs that need a firm stick: tempura and neatly sliced sushi rolls are easier with Japanese-style sticks.
How it compares
The obvious alternative is Trans-Ocean Crab Classic: similar style and uses, but certified gluten-free. For firmer texture, look at frozen Japanese-style kanikama such as Osaki or Shirakiku; for a kosher, shellfish-free option, Dyna-Sea.
Verdict
Good fit for: creamy, dressed and baked dishes, and shoppers who want a widely available refrigerated surimi.
Look elsewhere for: gluten-free diets, tempura and sushi where firmness matters.
Search Louis Kemp Crab Delights on Amazon →
Standard storage rules apply — 3–4 days refrigerated once opened (storage guide) — and the brand guide compares it with the rest of the field.
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