Skip to main content
Main

Mock Crab Cakes

A vegetarian crab cake made with tofu, bread crumbs, vegetables, and Old Bay seasoning.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 13 ingredients
Jump to recipe ↓

Why it works: Carrot and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,053 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Mock Crab Cakes

10 patties
Oven350°F

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Wrap tofu in paper towels, place in a colander, set a plate on top, add weight, and set aside for about 20 minutes.

  2. Preheat oven to 350°F.

  3. Whirl bread pieces into fine crumbs in a food processor or blender.

  4. Place the crumbs on a baking sheet or large cake pan and toast in the oven for 8–10 minutes, or until dried and toasty.

  5. Remove from oven and set aside.

Make the filling

  1. Brush a skillet with oil and cook celery, onion, carrot, pepper, and parsley until softened, about 5 minutes.

  2. Remove from heat and set aside.

  3. Pulse tofu in a food processor to a cottage‑cheese consistency, being careful not to puree it.

  4. In a large bowl, combine tofu, sautéed vegetable mixture, 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs, mayonnaise, and seasoning. Mix well.

Shape and bake

  1. Using about 1/3 cup for each, form mixture into 10 patties about 3 inches across and 1/2 inch thick.

  2. Coat each patty with remaining bread crumbs to cover.

  3. Place patties on a sprayed or nonstick baking sheet and spray tops lightly with cooking spray.

  4. Bake 15 minutes.

  5. Carefully turn cakes over and return to the oven to bake until second side is toasty and browned, about 5–10 minutes more.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

462Calories
20 gProtein
25 gFat
41 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Wheat Bread1 slice (30g) white79
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Tofu100g firm76
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Carrot1 medium (61g)25
Celery1 stalk (40g)6
Mustard1 tsp (5g) yellow3
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Carrot + parsleytop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together8,053 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  2. Celery + carrottop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together10,173 recipes

    Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).

  3. Celery + parsleytop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,810 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  4. Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together34,122 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  5. Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together16,012 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Firm tofu
Provides the main body of the cakes, and pressing it removes water so the mixture holds together.
Whole wheat bread
Dried crumbs absorb moisture and help bind the patties while adding structure.
Eggless mayonnaise
Adds fat and moisture, keeping the patties tender and binding the mixture together.
Celery, onion, carrot, and green bell pepper
Sautéed vegetables add moisture, sweetness and savory flavor to the filling.
Old bay seasoning
Provides the signature seasoning and aroma associated with crab cakes.

The step that matters

Pressing the tofu and pulsing it gently. Tofu holds a lot of water, and excess moisture makes the mixture soft and hard to shape. Pulsing only to a cottage-cheese texture keeps some structure so the patties hold together and brown well.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (wheat, bread, celery, carrot, pepper, parsley, tofu):

  1. Spinachfits better
  2. Capsicumfits better
  3. Tomatofits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against wheat, bread, celery, carrot, pepper, parsley, tofu. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

You might also like

Brown BreadBrown Bread461 recipesCarrot SoupCarrot Soup134 recipesCream of Celery SoupCream of Celery Soup113 recipesWhite BreadWhite Bread80 recipes