i am going to be honest - i am not the biggest sea food lover but I do love these vegan crab cakes. however, I am excited to say I even shared these crab cakes this week with friends and some reported back that they never would have guessed - which as you know is exactly the goal.
also you cannot forget to make the essential remoulade sauce because no crab cake is complete without remoulade - even the plant-based ones.
Heart of Palm “Crab” Cakes
makes 9 / prep and cook time is about 1 hour
Ingredients
* olive oil for sautéing *
1/2 cup - diced yellow onion
1/4 cup - diced red bell pepper or sundried tomatoes
1/4 cup - diced green bell pepper or green onions / parsley
2 tbsp - minced garlic
1-14oz can - heart of palm
1-6 oz jar of marinated artichokes hearts
3 tsp - old bay seasoning
1 tbsp - cornstarch
1 tsp - Furi Kake seasoning
1/4 cup - vegan mayo
3/4 cup - panko
1/4 cup - flour
2 tsp - lemon juice
1 tbsp - chopped capers
* safflower oil for pan frying - or another oil that has a high smoke point *
What you will need :
Baking tray with parchment paper or a rack for oil to drip off after frying
A pot, pan or cast iron for deep frying and or pan frying
Metal tongs
Deli paper ( if you want to freeze these individually )
Large bowl
Measuring cups + spoons
Instructions
Step 1 - Prep
There is nothing worse than going to make something and realizing you don’t have the stuff !
I always start by separating my diced onions and bell peppers in half - I like to cook half and throw in the other half into the mix raw. I like to sauté them till golden brown and then add in the garlic with a touch of soy sauce. Another extra step thing I do is measure out half a cup heart of palm and half a cup artichokes and throw that in the pan to sauté with the onions and peppers mixture. Once this is all done sautéing I plop the sauteed veggie mixture onto a dish and allow it to cool in the fridge.
Step 2 - Making the mix
Now for the easy fun part. In a large bowl add in chopped heart of palm and artichokes. Throw in the old bay, corn starch, furi kake, vegan mayo, flour, lemon juice and the rest of that mixture that was put in the fridge to chill. Mash well with your hands through combining everything. Now to make little patties, I used a portion scoop that I found at a restaurant supply store but you could use a 1/4 cup scoop. I typically get 9 little guys depending on how big they are.
Now this part is critical to avoid your crab cakes from falling apart while cooking. I put all my patties on a sheet pan and let them set up in the freezer for maybe 40 min. You can also store them in the freezer to use later. Skipping this step will have your precious crab cakes falling apart.
Step 3 - Frying
I recommend pan frying these in some shallow oil till you se the golden brown edges and give it a flip. When they are ready to come out then put them on paper towel or a drip rack to allow excess oil to drip off.
Step 4 - Serving
I serve these with basmati rice, cabbage slaw that was really just red cabbage mixed with green onions, remoulade sauce and chopped Clawson pickles. I garnished with a generous sprinkling of parsley and a lil lemon wedge for squeezin - very 80s style.
Save your left over patties in the fridge for up to maybe 7 days in a food safe, air tight container or for up to 3 months in the freezer.
New Orleans Style Remoulade
yields 1 1/2 cups
Ingredients
1 cup - plant-based mayo
2 tbsp - Dijon Mustard
1 tbsp - lemon juice
1 tbsp - chopped parsley
1 tbsp - tabasco sauce or any hot sauce you like
1 tbsp - minced garlic
2 tsp - chopped capers
1 tsp - vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp - paprika
1 - finely chopped green onions
1/4 tsp - salt
1/8 - cayenne pepper
Plant-Based Mayo
yields 1 1/2 cups
¼ cup - aquafaba
¾ cup - warm safflower oil, or any oil you like
1/2 tsp - Dijon mustard
1 tsp - sea salt
1 tbsp - lemon juice
2 tsp - maple syrup
1 tsp - cream of tartar
Step 1 - Whip the base
Pour the aquafaba in the blender or if you are using a hand held emulsifier contraption, find a pitcher or a large mason jar that you can use to whip everything together. Once the aquafaba has been whipping for about a min or two and has started foaming, add in that cream of tar tar and allow that to integrate for a minute before slowly pouring in that warm oil letting it slowly build and thicken. Take your time with this step as this will build up the strength in the mayo for everything else to be added.
Step 2 - Add in the remaining ingredients
After pouring in all the oil and your mayo is formed, whip in the remaining ingredients and let that whip together to integrate everything for another minute.
Step 3 - Chill it
Store it in a jar or food safe, air tight container and let it chill for a couple hours to really get firm.
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3