can i substitute this?? vegetarians' advice requested!

[wendybird]

it pains me that imitation crab is still a fish, so i'm trying to find a substitute for my vegetarian friends..

this is my original recipe:

INGREDIENTS
1 quart oil for deep frying
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 (12 ounce) package imitation crabmeat, flaked
1 (5 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
5 green onions, chopped
2 (14 ounce) packages wonton wrappers
DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in a large, heavy saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, soy sauce, imitation crabmeat, water chestnuts and green onions.
Place approximately 1 teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture in the center of each wonton wrapper. Fold into triangles and seal edges with moistened fingers.
In small batches, fry the wontons in the hot oil 3 to 4 minutes, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.


however i saw online someone made a "substitute" using zuccini and old bay seasoning in a "crab cake" recipe.

do you think i could halve this recipe and make it twice, one half w/ imitation crab and one half with the zuccini+seasoning? i hope i don't have to fiddle with it too much to get the right amount(6 oz.) of zuccini.

i'm not used to extensive vegetarian cooking, so any other ideas would be welcome!

(eta a link)

[Harriet Jones]

It might turn out OK, I'm not vegetarian, though.

I found a vegetarian crab rangoon recipe that had onion, garlic, and a little red pepper in it.
http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/1486/Crab-Rangoon/

[Lady Vavasour]

It's hard to tell without actually tasting it, but I think zucchini would work out OK. I reckon the substitute doesn't necessarily have to taste like crab if it goes well with the other ingredients.

You probably don't need to be particularly precise in the amount of zucchini you use. Just use approximately the same amount as crabmeat.

[cicero]

i am of the school of thought that says that it's better to just make a regular vegetarian dish rather than to try and imitate a non-vegetarian dish. vegetarian food is delicious and doesn't need to hide behind seasonings and what-not in order for people to eat it.

I don't know if those fake crab cakes are any good or not. it doesn't sound bad but i don't know. i would just make the won tons with the vegetables - maybe add some mushrooms and/or grated carrot for color an flavor, so make one batch that is just vegetables and the second batch with the crab meat and cheese.

it pains me that imitation crab is still a fish, so i'm trying to find a substitute for my vegetarian friends..

this is my original recipe:

INGREDIENTS
1 quart oil for deep frying
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 (12 ounce) package imitation crabmeat, flaked
1 (5 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
5 green onions, chopped
2 (14 ounce) packages wonton wrappers
DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in a large, heavy saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, soy sauce, imitation crabmeat, water chestnuts and green onions.
Place approximately 1 teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture in the center of each wonton wrapper. Fold into triangles and seal edges with moistened fingers.
In small batches, fry the wontons in the hot oil 3 to 4 minutes, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.


however i saw online someone made a "substitute" using zuccini and old bay seasoning in a "crab cake" recipe.

do you think i could halve this recipe and make it twice, one half w/ imitation crab and one half with the zuccini+seasoning? i hope i don't have to fiddle with it too much to get the right amount(6 oz.) of zuccini.

i'm not used to extensive vegetarian cooking, so any other ideas would be welcome!

(eta a link)

[joho]

I think zucchini would add too much moisture.  If I were making this I'd substitute firm tofu for the fake crab.

[jais]

Couldn't you just leave the imitation crab out and make them that way?

[Ant V]

Ask your friend if she eats the fake crab.   Some vegetarians eat chicken and fish.  My mother did and so does my friend.  Vegans do not eat anything that had a mother and some won't eat the products from animals...cheese, butter, milk, eggs, etc.  If you don't want to ask, find another recipe that uses beans. 

[Miss Unleaded]

I don't know if it would work but I'd be more inclined to try firm, smoked tofu chopped into 'flakes'.  Zucchini doesn't sounds right.  If you can't find smoked tofu then perhaps use normal tofu and a small amount of liquid smoke.  Tofu alone would be a little bland with the cream cheese and water chestnuts.  You could also try finely sliced reconstituted dried mushrooms.

Cicero has a good point.  I would be tempted to drop the cream cheese mix altogether and make the filling from bean sprouts, sliced mushrooms, water chestnuts, finely sliced carrot, spring onion, cilantro (coriander), garlic and ginger instead.  Serve with soy, plum or sweet chili dipping sauce.

Now I'm all hungry.

[Xena_Xavier]

Do you live in a city with its own Chinatown, or live near a Chinese grocery?  I'm a vegan, and I do most of my grocery shopping at Chinese grocers  because they have such a large selection of "mock" meat.  The mock seafood and shellfish I find in their frozen section tastes near-as-darn-it like the real thing.

My husband still eats meat occasionally, and with many things I cook him he says he can't taste the difference.  I've served mock shrimp to guests just stuck on bamboo sticks with some peppers and pineapple and grilled with a light honey-soy glaze, and they can't believe it's not real.  I can't recall the brand name just now, but there's a type of crab balls made from beancurd and flavouring that you can cut up into flakes for most crab recipes.

Tinned mock fish and meat is also good but can often have a particular flavour that affects the sauce/recipe you're planning to put the meat in.  There's also vacuum-packed mock fish, but that doesn't have very much flavour.  It goes super in veggie gumbos or tom yum soups, however.