Crabless Crab Cakes

Photography By: NAIT

Looking for your next crowd-pleasing appetizer? You won’t believe that these flavourful crab cakes are made entirely from plants. To replicate the texture of crab meat, we use canned and drained hearts of palm: a white vegetable that comes from the core, or heart, of – you guessed it – the palm plant. The recipe includes seaweed and the remoulade sauce uses capers and sea salt to add that “seafood” flavour.

Pro tip: Mayonnaise and Worcestershire sauce typically contain animal ingredients. Be sure to look for plant-based or vegan labels on these products at your local grocery store.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Serves: 12

Ingredients

For the Crab Cakes

  • 2 x 14 oz cans of Hearts of Palm, drained
  • 1 cup of Canola oil, divided
  • 1 cup of small diced onions
  • 1 cup of small diced red bell peppers
  • 1 tsp of fresh minced garlic
  • 2 tsp of toasted nori flakes
  • 1/2 cup of egg-free mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast
  • 2 cups of breadcrumbs
  • 2 cups of Panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 tsp of salt
  • 1 tsp of black pepper
  • 2 tbsp old bay seasoning
  • 2 tbsp of vegan Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 tbsp Tabasco sauce

For the Remoulade Sauce

  • 1/2 cup of egg-free mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp of ketchup
  • 1 tbsp of Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp of Tabasco sauce
  • 1 tsp of vegan Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tsp of minced shallots
  • 2 tsp of minced capers
  • 1 tsp of chopped, fresh parsley
  • 2 tsp of minced red bell pepper

Preparation

For the Crab Cakes

  1. Pulse drained hearts of palm in a food processor until the consistency resembles crab meat.
  2. Heat two tablespoons of the canola oil in a fry pan. Sauté onions, bell peppers, and garlic for 2-3 minutes and then remove from heat.
  3. In a bowl, combine the onion mixture with the nori flakes, hearts of palm, two tablespoons of canola oil, egg-free mayonnaise, nutritional yeast, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, old bay seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and tabasco sauce.
  4. Mix well and scoop mixture out into 3 ounces balls on a plate or sheet pan.
  5. Press into patties.
  6. Coat each patty in the panko breadcrumbs.
  7. Heat remaining oil in a fry pan. Pan fry each patty until golden brown.

For the Remoulade Sauce

  1. Combine all ingredients listed under the remoulade sauce in a blender.
  2. Blend on high for one minute.
  3. Refrigerate for up to 4 days.