If ever you were a fan of crab cakes before going vegan, then I have just the recipe for you!
When we first became vegan I kept seeing recipes for vegan crab cakes made from hearts of palm and artichoke hearts. Both would give you that crabby texture, but so would jackfruit, even more so in my opinion than an artichoke heart, and you would get a hint of sweetness that crab has.
So I decided to split the difference and use canned jackfruit in brine, paired with hearts of palm to get the perfect texture and taste for a seriously delicious vegan crab cake!
These vegan crab cakes have the perfect crab meat texture with a just a hint of fishy flavor accomplished with some seaweed flakes and old bay seasoning! They are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside!
I have fried these both in oil and in my air fryer with success. Actually when I created the recipe I did not own an air fryer. When I later purchased one, I was far too excited to try these out in it! Well, it works just fine and cuts back on all the extra calories you get from oil frying. Not that I am anti oil frying because I am not. I do however love the ease and convenience of my air fryer. I also love the how easy it is to clean. That might be my most favorite thing about it acutally.
You can serve these vegan crab cakes on their own with a salad and a side or make the best crab cake sandwich with them! Either way I think you will be pleased and glad you made them!
So get crackin…not literally, because there are not actual crabs required to make these!
INGREDIENTS:
1 can of jackfruit in brine
1 can hearts of palm sliced
1/4 cup vegan mayo
1 flax egg
1 celery stalk finely chopped
1 small yellow onion finely chopped
2-3 teaspoons dulse flakes (seaweed flakes)
2 teaspoons old bay seasoning
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/3 cup of panko bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
preferred oil for frying
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:
Drain jackfruit and hearts of palm. Add both along with the seaweed to you food processor and pulse until pieces are broken up and resemble crab meat.
In a bowl combine the mixture from the food processor, flax egg, mayo, onion, celery, garlic, old bay, salt and pepper. Mix well.
Using a medium sized scoop or a 1/3 measuring cup, scoop mixture and form a patty shape. You will get 8-10 crab cakes depending on scoop size.
In a shallow bowl or dish, add bread crumbs and carefully coat the crab cakes, lightly pressing the crumbs into the cakes without flattening them.
Line up crab cakes on a cookie sheet and pop in the freezer for half and hour. This helps them firm up so they will be easier to handle and fry.
Heat 1/2 to 1 inch of oil in a medium skillet until oil is good and hot. It should sizzle when you put your first cake in.
Fry the cakes for a few minutes on each side, before flipping. You want them to get golden brown and crispy. Work in batches careful not to overcrowd the pan.
Once done frying, place the crab cakes on a cooling rack with some paper towels underneath to cool and remove excess oil.
Serve crab cakes on their own or as a sandwich with horseradish aioli.
Serving size 6-8
Horseradish Aioli
1/3 cup vegan mayo
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 scallion finely chopped
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and serve
