Recipes

[dulwich]

I have friend coming to stay who cannot eat mayonnaise - silly question can I use plain yoghurt instead of Mayo when making crab cakes?  All recipes use mayo - thanks for any advice.

[novamc1]

I have a bunch of crab recipes and here is one that does not include mayo.

It is supposedly a "favorite recipe" from National Marine Fisheries Services, and I have never tried it.  See what you think.

1 - 2 - 3  CRAB (Serves 4 to 6)

1 pound lump blue crab meat, fresh, frozen or pasteurized

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar

Thaw and drain frozen crab meat.

Remove any shell or cartilage.

Place crab in a shallow 1-quart casserole

Combine butter and vinegar.  Pour over crab.  Mix lightly,

Broil about 4 inches from heat source for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

[novamc1]

 Found another one---from The American Heritage Cookbook

If your guest can't eat mayo, this might not solve the problem, though, because the eggs and oil in the recipe are the basic ingredients of mayo

MARYLAND CRAB CAKES

6 slices white bread

3/4 cup olive oil

3 eggs, separated

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 pounds crab meat

Paprika

3 tablespoons butter.

Trim crusts from bread and lay slices on a shallow platter.  Pour oil over them and let stand until bread is thoroughly saturated.  Use forks to break into small pieces.

Combine egg yolks with mustard, salt and Worcestershire.  Beat lightly.

Stir in bread and crab, gently fold in stiffly beaten egg whites and shape mixture into patties.  Sprinkle with paprika and saute in heated butter until golden on both sides.

Serves 6

[Campion]

You have to understand the "chemistry" of these simple cakes. 

Crabcakes are made of crabmeat (preferably expensive lump) held together with just enough cracker crumbs or bread crumbs and mayo OR egg as "glue" to make them hold together enough to fry or broil.

If you use yogurt, you will experience "syneresis" which is the drawing off of water as the protein in the yogurt actually shrinks during cooking (this is denaturation.) This is why egg yolk is a better binder: it's fat and has little to no water in it, being oil (oil vs water, you know. They don't mix well.)

The mayo being an emulsion of a water phase and an oil phase (mostly oil) will work better as a binder. Yogurt would probably fail. 

A pure protein binder could work--you can puree another fish or shellfish (scallops are mild, you could try a white fish with a mild taste.) Shrimp made into a paste might work, but shrimp are high in cholesterol (like crab) and have a characteristic taste that would overpower the delicate crab flavor. 

There is a classic Baltimore recipe with no mayo, using egg instead (Andrew Zimmern)  Baltimore Crab Cakes

If you are trying to cut calories and broil the crabcakes, and not use mayo, I'd suggest a fish puree and experiment with cheap crabmeat to see how much filler plus puree you'd need to get good flavor and cohesion. 

Personally, if I'm going to eat a crabcake, as long as I'm not allergic to mayo, I'm going to use mayo. Some things are best not messed around with. 

[Q-Checker]

If you want it to be a true Batimore crab cake, use Old Bay seasoning! Eggs and bread crumbs are all that are needed to bind the crab cakes.

[novamc1]

Agree.  I would always use Old Bay in place of paprika, but the recipe I posted called for paprika, and that's probably more of a staple item that people have on hand.

  A can of Old Bay is always in our cupboard and is good on all types of seafood.

[151949]

All, i use are whipped egg whites, old bay seasoning and the crabmeat. I then scoop them onto a cookie sheet and bake them in the oven. Delicious.

[beach-mom]

My dad couldn't eat mayonnaise. My dad also caught many crabs in his lifetime! Whenever a recipe called for mayonnaise my mom would substitute sour cream. She made the most delicious crab cakes and potato salad with this!

She was also generous with her Old Bay seasoning. I am too. Wouldn't make a crab cake without it! 

[dulwich]

Thank you all for your help - definitely going to get some Old Bay seasoning as this seems to be recommended.  Thanks.

[novamc1]

You didn't specify the reason for your guest to not have any mayo, but if it is an egg allergy, crab cakes probably are not the dish to serve. 

Egg whites are the primary offender for people with egg allergy.  My sister is not able to have certain types of vaccinations because many of them contain egg albumen, or at least so she tells me.