Lion’s Mane Crab Cakes
In the never-ending quest for "plant-based" meat substitutes, once you stumble upon Lion's Mane mushrooms and work with it a bit, it's easy to see how it picks apart and texturally resembles crab. Home cooks use hearts of palm too, but it always ends up a little watery, in my opinion. Pound for pound using Lion's Mane is no cheaper than buying real lump crab meat, but if you want to sink your teeth into something a bit meatier while staying plant-focused, Lion's Mane is worth a try. To make the recipe vegan, simply swap out with an egg substitute.
Servings: EIGHT medium crab cakes
INGREDIENTS
1 pound Lion’s Mane mushrooms, picked into “crab-like” pieces
1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon tamari
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
1 egg*
1/2 lemon, zested
1 celery stalk, finely diced
2 tablespoons parsley, minced
2 tablespoons chives
1/4 cup gluten-free panko plus more for breading
oil for pan-frying (neutral oil such as avocado, 2-3 tablespoons)
LEMON SAUCE
1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
1/2 lemon, juice
1/2 lemon, zested
1/2 teaspoon salt
*To make this recipe vegan, swap the egg with 1/4 cup Just Egg or another vegan egg replacement.
PREPARATION
1 Cook the Lion’s Mane mushrooms in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté for a couple of minutes to cook off the water. Then place the cooked mushrooms in a strainer over a bowl and let cool.
2 In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, tamari, and Old Bay seasoning.
3 Squeeze the mushrooms to remove any excess water and set aside.
4 In the mayonnaise mixture, stir in lemon zest, celery, parsley, chives, and gluten-free breadcrumbs. Stir until well incorporated. Then fold in the cooled and strained mushrooms.
5 Using a 1/4-cup scoop, measure out the crab mixture and place on the plate with breadcrumbs. Gently coat the “crab” cakes and set aside.
6 In a large skillet over medium heat, pour 2-3 tablespoons of oil to cover the bottom and wait until the oil shimmers. Place the crab cakes into the pan and cook about 2 minutes per each side.
7 To make the lemon sauce, place all the ingredients into a bowl, whisk and adjust salt to taste.
8 Serve the lion’s mane crab cakes with lemon sauce and top with extra parsley and chives.
NOTES
To make this a complete meal, try it with some frisée salad and a lemon vinaigrette.
