What comes to your mind when you think of crab cakes? For me, it’s a crispy outer crust and a flaky, yet firm interior. I think of Old Bay seasoning, tangy tarter sauce, a subtle hint of ocean flavor and the citrusy zest of fresh squeezed lemon. I also think of Maryland, but that doesn’t sound as poetic.
When I decided to make this classic appetizer completely plant based, I honesty wasn’t sure what I would get. After all, its not always easy to mimic the texture and flavor of meat with plants, but i’ll be damned if I didn’t say these come exceptionally close. My husband (Mr. Skeptical) was thoroughly shocked at how close these came to the real deal, and let me tell you, when I get an approval from him or my dad on a recipe, I know it’s a winner.
I mean, just look at that texture! Would you believe that hearts of palm and chickpeas made that happen? And that crispy outer crust, would you believe that its grain free? Well believe it, because in place of traditional breadcrumbs, I used my favorite Simple Mills Sea Salt Crackers ground up super finely.
This recipe is a winner, you guys. Not only is it vegan, gluten free, grain free and dairy free, its also delicious. Serve this up with some vegan tarter sauce, a few lemon wedges and some finely sliced green onions.
*Note: This mixture can totally be made up the night before, just cover the bowl and stick it in the fridge until you are ready to make and pan fry your patties.
Vegan Crab Cakes
Author: The Lean Clean Eating Machine
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz can garbanzo beans; rinsed. *Save 1/4 cup liquid
- 2 14 oz cans hearts of palm; drained, rinsed and cut in half
- 4 tablespoons reserved garbanzo bean liquid
- 1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon low sodium tamari
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup green onion; finely sliced
- 1/4 cup flat leaf Italian parsley
- 2 teaspoons kelp granules
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1.5 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt; season to taste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup breadcrumbs- I used Simple Mills Sea Salt crackers crushed up super finely, but you can also use gluten free panko bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
Instructions
- In a food processor add the garbanzo beans and hearts of palm together. Pulse just a few times to break it up. Don’t pulse too many times or it will turn to mush. It should have a crab-like consistency. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the reserved liquid from the garbanzo beans until it’s slightly foamy. Add in the vegan mayonnaise, lemon juice, tamari, mustard and dry seasonings. Whisk to combine well.
- Add in the breadcrumbs, green onion, and hearts of palm/garbanzo bean mixture. Gently fold to combine. Taste for salt or seasoning and add more if needed. Place the mixture in the freezer for 20 minutes. This helps the mixture stay together a bit better. You can also make this in advance and store in the fridge for use the next day.
- Place enough of your cracker breadcrumbs onto a shallow dish that will coat patties evenly. Take mixture out of freezer. Place a heaping 1/4 cup of mixture into your hands to form a ball, then gently flatten to form it into a patty shape. Coat patty in the breadcrumbs on each side. Place on a plate and continue until the mixture is gone.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat (about 2-3 minutes). Add about 2 tablespoons of oil and wait until it gets hot before adding the patties. If you place the patty in the pan and you hear it sizzle, it’s ready.
- Place about 4 patties on your pan at one time, but make sure you don’t overcrowd the pan because they won’t cook properly. Pan-fry them about 3 minutes on each side, or until light golden brown. Try to only flip each patty once. When done, transfer the patties to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil. Wipe out pan before the next batch of uncooked patties are added, and add fresh oil and continue until all patties are complete.
- Serve hot with vegan tartar sauce, a lemon wedge and top with chopped green onions.