What can I substitue for crab?

[Miri1]

I've been seeing a lot of recipes for crab cakes lately that look amazing. Problem is, I don't eat shellfish (I keep Kosher) and I don't know what crab tastes like, so I don't know what would work in these recipes. I often make salmon croquettes with canned salmon. Will that work or is the flavor wrong?

Thanks!
Miri

[EricMM]

There is no real substitute for crab, or any shellfish. However, substituting your favorite fish (leftovers are great for this) will still lead to a great tasting "cake". But it will not be a crab cake. As for surimi, it varies greatly in quality. I'm not familiar with kosher brands, but much of it is perfectly palatable in salads, sushi, etc, but turns into tasteless mush when cooked. If you are going to cook with it, get the fake crab/lobster "lumps", not the "legs".

[ospreycove]

True Fresh Unpastuerized Blue Crab meat is becoming very difficult to find. The Asian imports of pautuerized, frozen, huge lump crab meat has taken over the market. Only one problem NO TASTE!! Also crabs feed on detritus and live on the bottom of the river, bay, etc. Do you know where your "Chinese/Vietnamese/Thai crab was living? In a region of limited sewage treatment facilities etc. I wonder!!!!

[4Snisl]

Good luck with the cod cakes which are tasty seafood morsels in their own right!

You may think this sounds absolutely crazy, but I've been making "I Can't Believe It's Not Crab Cakes" a lot with the onset of zucchini season.....(scroll about 1/3 of the way down for recipe):

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mighty...

Perhaps it's simply the addition on Old Bay that makes the taste buds think "seafood!", but this is the closest non-crab replication of crabcakes I've ever had.

[bushwickgirl]

Ah, the Old Bay will make anything taste reminiscent of crab; it's funy how we associate that spice blend so closely with the flavor of seafood in this country, on the East coast, anyway.

Since good lump crab is not in my budget these days, I'll have to try your recipe!

[DGresh]

I made these last night. They were terrific! I did them with yellow summer squash, and you are right, the combo of flavors and textures is very much like crab cakes. These will be a great addition to our "vegetarian rotation" for our teenage daughter.

[al b. darned]

I made these last night, too, and they were great! IMO, there is no mistaking it for a real crab cake, but delicious none the less. Definitely a keeper!

[L987]

I think the best thing is to use any other fish, salmon or cod maybe depending on what kind of other flavors and spices you wanna have in your fish cakes

[Miri1]

Like I said, since I've never had crab, I won't know what I'm missing lol

I don't think I'd eat crab even if I could. I have this aversion to shellfish- not because they're not kosher but because their shells (crabs and lobsters too) totally give me the creeps. The soundof them clinking and rubbing against each other just sends chills up my spine. Like someone scratching a blackboard :)

I have cod, so cod it will be.

[Quine]

Hum, I am sorta on the side of crab is crab, nothing is like it,. And crab cakes with anything else would be anything else cakes.
But I am a fan of taking what looks amazing from a recipe and creating it with something else to get a new amazing. What makes those recipes you are reading look amazing to you? Give us that and lets see what we can think of.

I can tell the use of Surimi, when it is used, and IMHO, not close. I do like it as an ingredient. But I do not see it as a substitute of anything.

But in my past I have made cakes that originally used crab with chicken. Made great chicken cakes!

[Miri1]

OK, so I'm assuming then, since surimi has sugar, that crab is sweet? In that case, I don't think I'll like it much as I don't care for sweet fish. Though I might just give it a try, just to say I did.

As for Monkfish, not kosher. But there are plenty of kosher white fish, like halibut, bass, cod, haddock etc. I guess I'll just take the recipes and use whatever fish I have since I've never had rab, I won;t know the difference! LOL

Thanks, everyone!

[Jen76]

"OK, so I'm assuming then, since surimi has sugar, that crab is sweet?"

It is sweet (and salty!), but it's so difficult to describe because it's not a "hit you over the head" sugary sweet. It's very delicate in texture, and the flavor is almost ephemeral. It's different from fish flavor, even though it's still recognizably seafood. There's really nothing that can match the flavor of really good crab. Any recipe you try, you may end up with amazingly good fish cakes that will give you an idea of how good crab cakes are, but still won't be crab cakes.

[bookhound]

Crab taste like ocean air in a solid form. A little briny and sweet. I developed a shellfish allergy several years ago and I really miss crab but I remember the flavor well.

[hotoynoodle]

"Crab taste like ocean air in a solid form"

~~~~

i love this!

surimi may be kosher but does not taste or chew the same as crab. at all.

here's a tip though for fish cakes: use as little starchy binder as possible. i often make them with none and have it held together with mayo. i form them and put them in the fridge to get chilled, which makes them stay together better while cooking.

[Jen76]

You could probably just use cod. Poach it or steam it and then break it up into big flakes/lumps. It's white and delicate tasting.

[small h]

Salmon doesn't taste like crab, although there's nothing wrong with salmon cakes. There is definitely kosher "crab" to be had. I've had decent surimi.

[ipsedixit]

You could use Surimi, which is imitation crab meat made from pollock or cod, and which I believe is kosher (at least certain brands are).

[mcf]

Ick to surimi. Sugar, mofied starches and some fish. Bleah is my vote. You could use monkfish, texture wise, cut up.

[ipsedixit]

I'm not necessarily a proponent of surimi, mcf, but I am curious whether your detest for it arises from taste or from the ingredients used to make surimi?

I do think surimi has its place in the culinary universe, and in fact if you've ever tried crab cakes, made well, with surimi I'm betting dollars to donuts you wouldn't be able to discern a difference.

Now, if you've got an objection to surimi because of its elemental components, then it is what it is. Some find modified corn starch, sugar, etc. to be bad. If that's your case, then there's nothing really one can say to convince you to try it.

[JoanN]

I agree wholeheartedly that surimi has it's place. It's real food; not fake food. I discovered a long time ago, much to the benefit of my wallet, that I couldn't tell the difference between fabulously expensive lump crab in a gumbo and torn up surimi. I've been using surimi in my gumbo ever since and I'd put money on no one ever knowing the difference.

I would definitely try substituting surimi for crab in a crab cake. It's inexpensive enough, and if the OP doesn't like the result s/he doesn't have to do it again.

[mcf]

Well, it's usually labeled "imitation crab" so we may have different standards for "real food." :-)

[JoanN]

How it's labeled has nothing to do with what it's made of. Surimi is ground fish, usually pollack or hake. That's real food in my book no matter what it's called--in the same way that ground beef is still real food even if it's called hamburger meat. Some commercially sold surimi has additives and you might not care for them. But not all surimi does. In Asia it's considered a standalone product, not imitation anything. If you think of it that way, you might find it more acceptable.

[Quine]

JoanN - I do agree that Surimi is a real food, to use as a real ingredient.

But it is NOT anything else. I've been eating it for years, but I honestly never saw it as a "raw" ingredient.
I do understand your defense of it. But you must be honest: "ground" anything does not have the texture of lobster, crab, shrimp, which it is so commonly called in as a substitute?. Would you accept it as Sashimi? Nah, thought so.

And please..."How it's labeled has nothing to do with what it's made of" are you for honestly saying that? Are you saying that something labeled as Kosher is not? Or Vegan is not? What are you saying?

[mcf]

I'll accept your definition of surimi, but I have never found anything but the adulterated stuff in stores in my part of NY, hence my opinion of it. I'm not in Asia. When I used to buy ground meat, it didn't have food starch and sugar added, or I wouldn't have bought it, either.

And, yeah, your labeling comment makes no sense to me, either.

[JoanN]

All I meant by the labeling comment was that if it was called it surimi instead of fake crab I think many would find it less objectionable.

I've found surimi in Asian markets that does not contain additives, although you're right that most of the stuff found in run-of-the-mill supermarkets does. What additives are used sometimes depends on what fish the surimi is made from. I have no objection to some additives such as egg whites or potato starch but won't buy surimi with HFCS.

The OP keeps Kosher. "Imitation Krab" was developed, using ancient East Asian techniques for making fish pastes, specifically to satisfy a desire for seafood among those who will not eat it for dietary reasons. Those of you who eat shellfish have no need to find a substitute for it. But for someone who wants to approximate a crab cake by using a product developed specifically for that purpose, I think she should go for it. Obviously, a lot of you who say you can't stand the stuff have tried it at least once. I think Miri1 ought to try it. If she doesn't like it, she won't do it again.

[mcf]

I guess I think, from a taste and food quality perspective that some of the fish substitutes mentioned here are far more desirable in terms of texture and taste and health attributes, but priorities differ.

The name makes no difference to me, btw, my priority is food quality. I always read the fine print.

[mcf]

It's both, actually. I really taste the sugar and starch, and I always know the difference in texture, too.

[Quine]

Yes! The texture is very much a factor. I do not like the taste of sweet, so that also clues me in. And very much so, the "sweet" taste of seafood, is unique. And that as well also clues me in, Sweet in Seafood is not it. It has an"umami" taste to me that cannot be duplicated.

[small h]

I don't think monkfish are kosher. They have no scales.