Seafood without the seafood is the next big thing as many people shift their dietary preferences to a plant-based diet. There are thousands of insanely delicious vegan recipes out there, but vegan seafood recipes, and bomb plant-based appetizers are something I just can’t get enough of. I was calling these crabless cakes like everyone else until a friend on Facebook turned me on to the stellar term “crab fakes”.

After pouring through crabless cake recipes, and some trial and error, voila… the right combination popped up like it always does. Simple to make, delicious, and plant-based, these awesome crab fakes will fool the saltiest dog out there.


Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp. Sesame Oil
  • (1) 15 oz. can of Corn
  • 1/2 cup minced Red Pepper
  • 2 tbsp. minced Garlic
  • 1/4 cup Minced Onion
  • (1) 15 oz. can of Hearts of Palm
  • 3 tsp. Dijon Mustard
  • 2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
  • 2 tbsp. fresh Parsley
  • 1/2 cup Vegan Mayo (I prefer “Just Mayo” by Hampton Creek)
  • Approximately 1 1/4 cup Plain Breadcrumbs
  • 2 tbsp. Nutritional Yeast
  • 1 snack sized packed of Roasted Seaweed (0.4 oz.)
  • Sea Salt

Directions

  1. Spicy Mayo: 1/4 cup of mayo, 1 tbsp of Sriracha, blend with fork.
  2. In a nonstick frying pan, heat 1 tbsp. of sesame oil. Add the corn, garlic, onion and red bell pepper and cook over high heat until corn starts to slightly crisp/brown.
  3. Scrape 1 cup of the mix into a food processor and pulse to a coarse puree.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, squeeze the hearts of palm to break them into shards. (Free pass this one time on being a heartbreaker)
  5. Add the puree and the remaining sauteed veggies into the bowl, along with the nutritional yeast, Old Bay, parsley, seaweed, mayonnaise, mustard and the 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs. Season lightly with salt and pepper and stir.
  6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and fill a bowl with bread crumbs.
  7. Scoop 1/4-cup balls of the crab fake mix into the bread crumbs and roll. Press the balls into  2-inch cakes and transfer to the parchment paper.
  8. Wipe out the nonstick skillet, then add a tbsp. of olive or coconut oil. Pan fry the fakes over a medium heat 2 minutes per side and turn.
  9. Wipe out the skillet and add clean oil and throw on some more fakes. Repeat until done.
  10. Serve the cakes hot with spicy mayo, on the side, or a dab on top.
  11. Bon Appétit!