Mayo substitute in crabcake mix? What does mayo do?

ItsMe0909
ItsMe0909 Posts: 30
edited November 12 in Recipes
Howdy-

I have a package of Zatarain's crab cake mix I would like to make. The recipe calls for (aside from meat), 1 egg and 2/3 cup of mayo.

I would like to substitute the mayo. I Googled mayo subs, and the answers were aligned with what better to put on a sandwich.

So, in this recipe- what is the function of mayo since there is egg in the recipe already? Can I sub olive oil? And... 2/3 cup seems high.

Thanks for the assistance...

Replies

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Binder... You can use Greek yogurt probably. I'd just use light mayo.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    it acts as a binder, since just egg and crab would be too loose. I'm not sure what subbing olive oil would accomplish, it would be an even looser mixture and wouldn't save on calories
  • Unknown
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  • Timorous_Beastie
    Timorous_Beastie Posts: 595 Member
    Not sure if it would save on calories, but I use Ranch dressing instead of mayo in anything. I just don't like mayo.
  • JohnRalfeo
    JohnRalfeo Posts: 37 Member
    Dannon Plain Greek Yogurt works very well as a mayo or sour cream substitute
  • conniehgtv
    conniehgtv Posts: 309 Member
    oil wouldn't help.I would mix FF sour cream and greek yogurt. Also check out Vegan online or in stores and health food, they have some amazing substitute products.
  • ItsMe0909
    ItsMe0909 Posts: 30
    Acg67 wrote: »
    I'm not sure what subbing olive oil would accomplish, it would be an even looser mixture and wouldn't save on calories

    Thanks for all of the replies. On the olive oil; I wasn't sure on purpose of mayo - and would be happy NOT to add it in. Greek yogurt it is.

    Thanks guys! :)
  • softblondechick
    softblondechick Posts: 1,275 Member
    It depends on your diet. I have been using hummus in place of mayo, to increase protien. Or hard boiled eggs, mixed with a bit of olive oil and vinegar, to make a "mayo" consistency".
  • goingtobefit2015
    goingtobefit2015 Posts: 408 Member
    I use Veganaise and it tastes good...I used in in my Tuna!
  • P0PTART
    P0PTART Posts: 50 Member
    edited February 2015
    Plain Yogurt, either Greek or regular, but run it over a cheese cloth (or paper towel) so that it will get rid of some of moisture. If you don't, your crabcakes won't bind and will fall apart. Make sure to measure AFTER you drain it.
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    It would provide a lot of the flavour too. If you refrigerate the crab after mixing, you might not need so much mayo though (I find refrigerating makes it get more liquidy, I do this with my tuna salads)! I'd suggest using 1/3 cup of mayo (light if you want), then refrigerating it for 30 mins. Check it after that and see if it looks creamy enough for you at this point.
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
    You can add an extra egg and cut down on the amount of mayo/yogurt you use. Adding that much greek yogurt might change the flavor of the crab cakes. I would also add a little extra salt if you sub yogurt for the mayo.
  • Amitysk
    Amitysk Posts: 705 Member
    You could use greek yogurt. Also avocado would be good.
  • alyssalaurenniem
    alyssalaurenniem Posts: 6
    Yeah I wouldn't go greek yogurt crazy because it could definitely change the taste. If you think about it, Mayo is mostly egg as well. Eggs act as a binding agent, so extra egg could help. Try googling "mayo free crab cakes" and maybe frankenstein the two recipes? Veganaise is really good but if you're going for calories/fat, they're not all that different. Maybe add egg white?
  • ItsMe0909
    ItsMe0909 Posts: 30
    alyssalaurenniem wrote: »
    Yeah I wouldn't go greek yogurt crazy because it could definitely change the taste. If you think about it, Mayo is mostly egg as well. Eggs act as a binding agent, so extra egg could help. Try googling "mayo free crab cakes" and maybe frankenstein the two recipes? Veganaise is really good but if you're going for calories/fat, they're not all that different. Maybe add egg white?

    Thanks again for the further input.

    The more I thought about it: I was concerned with replacing the entire mayo entry with greek yogurt and was thinking of increasing the egg.

    I did Google more recipes with 'mayo-free' in the search. At best, one recipe had 2 tsp or tbsp... not much.

    I think refrigerating is also a good idea. I'll watch the moisture.

    I changed the recipe to include 1 tbsp olive oil, 2 eggs, 2 tbsp greek yogurt. I intend to bake the crab cakes as well. Makes 8 patties, 150 cals per patty; much better. :)

    Thanks again!



  • dklibert
    dklibert Posts: 1,196 Member
    edited February 2015
    The egg is the binder. It will be absorbed by the bread crumb mix and firms up when cooked(like when you cook an egg). Mayo keeps it moist and adds flavor. I would use light mayo and just mix in until you get a moist texture. You will probably not need that much.
  • jpaulie
    jpaulie Posts: 917 Member
    that seems like a ridiculous amount of Mayo unless you are making lots. 2-3 tbsp would be fine. How many crab cakes does the recipe make and what size?
  • Jennloella
    Jennloella Posts: 2,286 Member
    I use avocado to sub mayo on most things, not sure in this case how it would change the taste, but I just wanted to throw it out there that crab cakes are something I make often for my kids, and I don't even use mayo or a sub at all......just eggs and crumbs.
  • ItsMe0909
    ItsMe0909 Posts: 30
    jpaulie wrote: »
    that seems like a ridiculous amount of Mayo unless you are making lots. 2-3 tbsp would be fine. How many crab cakes does the recipe make and what size?

    The recipe makes 8 patties. It doesn't say how large. There's only 2 of us and no one is really a fan of mayo. We don't have mayo (shocking!) and I have heard there is a way to work around it.

    My mission has been to reduce the amount of condiments we have, and to eliminate the array of boxed foods in the pantry.

    So, my plan is to make 'em this afternoon, refrigerate 4 and freeze the other 4. I'm going to weigh the mixture on the scale then portion it out.

    My 'ultimate' goal is to make most items fresh, I don't want to eat a lot of leftovers and am not a fan of freezing dishes.

    In December, when I first started MFP and was preparing for all of the leftovers from Xmas; I realized we had way too much food in the fridge/freezer/pantry. Both my husband & I were food shopping, and would pick up items for recipes we never made. And some of the items were starting to approach the expiration date.

    So, I created a 'triage' list. Oldest items are pieced together in a meal so that they fit my calorie allowance. Previously, I would shop by best price.

    We obviously like everything we purchased; so it's been a fun challenge to piece it together. And; because I do have to purchase some fresh foods to use up an existing item; I can't just zip through the old stuff.

  • Teneko
    Teneko Posts: 314 Member
    If you use greek yogurt instead of the mayo, you might try adding a bit of lemon juice for that extra "tang". Also, Bulgarian Yogurt (if available) is REALLY freakin' tangy on its own. Might try that instead. So good...soooooo good.

    -T.
  • BootCampC
    BootCampC Posts: 689 Member
    what's wrong with mayo? its only 2g of saturated fat , that's not bad
  • Teneko
    Teneko Posts: 314 Member
    Some folks just flat out don't like the taste. Personally I love it. Had a mayo "sandwich" last night with cheese slices instead of bread (Yay keto).

    -T.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    softblondechick wrote: »
    It depends on your diet. I have been using hummus in place of mayo, to increase protien. Or hard boiled eggs, mixed with a bit of olive oil and vinegar, to make a "mayo" consistency".

    I had a delicious tuna salad this past weekend, where hummus replaced the ubiquitous mayo. Great idea.

    I sometimes use Quark instead of mayo. But of course Greek Yogurt is a decent replacement too.
  • Mary407
    Mary407 Posts: 635 Member
    edited February 2015
    OP - I really admire your plan to reduce condiments. They are certainly a source of unnecessary sugar, salt, preservatives, and general ick.

    I come from a family that spent a lot of time on the Chesapeake Bay. Crabcakes are sacred. We follow a recipe passed on (totally not directly!) on from Barbara Mikulsik, Maryland Senator. It's probaly a MD state mandate that she know her crabcakes!

    A really good crab cake really doesn't have much mayo (or many cracker crumbs) to act as binders. You use the absolute bare minimum, and refrigerate as the previous poster suggested before cooking (pan frying, or you can oven bake on convection to brown, which is what we do) - chilling really does help keep them from falling apart.

    I would not ever sub yogurt - regardless of the type. Mayo is not there for flavor - just for binding - and the yogurt flavor would not sit well with me. And yogurt has a high water content and dry "mouth feel," neither of which you would want in a good crabcake. We only use about 3Tbs of mayo for a pound of crab. You could very easily add one extra egg yolk and 1Tbs of neutral oil to replace this mayo. After all, mayo is just egg yolk, oil, and acid (usually lemon juice or white vinegar). Depending on how much acid is added, mayo is not usually all that tangy, and I just think the yogurt would mess with the balance.

    Bottom line - good crab is expensive. I wouldn't want to screw up 20 bucks worth of crab experimenting with Greek yogurt. If you don't want prepared mayo, just add more of what mayo's made of.

    And never, ever forget the fresh parsley and Old Bay!
  • Mary407
    Mary407 Posts: 635 Member
    edited February 2015
    Due to the magic of the interweb, I see that Senator Mikulski's recipe is available for all!
    She uses 1Tbs of mayo only (not sure how the version we use ended up with 3 over time) and fresh bread. We use crumbled saltines or panko cause it's easier.

    Given that it's only 1tbs, I'd say you could skip it entirely. Just use an extra large egg. Happy eating!

    http://www.mikulski.senate.gov/about-barbara/crabcake-recipe
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