Krabby Patties
Jackfruit! It’s a miracle for substituting many animal products to create great tasting plant-based meals. I haven’t used it a ton but when I do I’m always pleased. And these “crab” cakes are no exception. If you’re lucky enough to live near an Asian market, you may find FRESH jackfruit. But canned jackfruit is fine, and it’s what I use.
Another wonderful plant-based ingredient that is sometimes overlooked and underutilized is aquafaba. It’s simply the water that chickpeas have cooked in (aqua=water/faba=bean). It’s a great egg replacer, and that’s how I used it in this recipe but I did also use some ground chia, just to be sure the patties held together. It worked like a charm! I think it even added a little airiness to the cake which was wonderful, even though I didn’t whip the aquafaba.
Yes, these guys are still a little sloppy (what great crab cake isn’t?) but mostly they hold together well, certainly well enough to pick one up in a sandwich and devour it.
Kelp granules really add a nice, fresh ocean flavor to these cakes (so much better than a fishy taste in my opinion). But you could also use dulse flakes or any other sea vegetable or combination that you prefer. These are pretty easy to put together. I’m excited for you to try this recipe! It makes a great lunch or light dinner.
Ingredients
1 20-oz. can jackfruit
½ cup diced celery
1/3 cup diced red pepper
¼ cup diced daikon radish
¼ cup freshly chopped parsley
¼ cup chopped green onion
½ cup blanched almond flour (sorry I have not tried it with a different flour)
½ cup oat bran
2 TBS maple syrup
1 TBS prepared horseradish
2 tsp kelp granules or other sea vegetable
2 tsp mustard
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp red pepper flakes
½ cup aquafaba + 2 TBS ground chia
Method
Sauté the celery, daikon and red pepper until tender. Transfer to a bowl.
Combine the ground chia with the aquafaba and set aside.
Drain and rinse the jackfruit. Really rinse it well to remove the salt and other preserving agents that are sometimes used. Squeeze as much water from it as you can and shred it between your fingers, or use a fork. Slice the thicker core.
Add the jackfruit and the remaining ingredients (except the aquafaba/chia mixture) and mix well to combine.
Lastly, add the aquafaba mixture and stir well to combine. use your hands if you must but make sure everything is very well incorporated.
Add love. 💗
Form into patties and cook on the stovetop in a non-stick pan. Flip when the bottoms are dry and have a bit of color and cook another 10 minutes or so. Be careful when flipping. They are very fragile when hot but firm up a bit as they cool off.
Serve on buns with your favorite condiments or as is with a salad.
Makes 4 big patties. Enjoy!
Notes
I got four cakes but you can probably double it if you make them smaller. I like mine BIG so mine were about 4" in diameter and 1" tall. I served them with vegan mayo mixed with horseradish. SO GOOD!!!