Surimi (Japanese: 擂 り 身, すり身, literally  ground meat ) refers to a paste made from fish or other meat, as well as multiple Asian foods that use surimi as its primary ingredient.he industrialized surimi-making process was refined in 1969 by Nishitani Yōsuke of Japan's Hokkaidō Fisheries Experiment Institute to process the increased catch of fish, to revitalize Japan's fish industry, and to make use of what previously was considered fodder fish.