I made these for you because you’re awesome and I want you to try Crab Cakes made from Garbanzo beans. They are easy to whip up and very similar to a traditional Crab Cake. Your house will even smell slightly of fish when you are done cooking them (I was surprised by this fact myself.) They are gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free and soon to be a favorite at your dinner table.
‘Crab’ Cakes with Sweet Balsamic Mayo [Vegan, Gluten-Free]
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 1/2 cup gluten free crackers, ground up
- 2 green onions, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
- 3 tablespoons red onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Wasabi mustard
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup ground flax seeds
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dulse flakes or powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 10 turns freshly ground Black pepper
- 1/2 cup grapeseed oil
Preparation
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Place the crackers in a food processor and process until they are ground up, resembling flour. Measure out 1/3 of a cup and set aside (if you end up with more than 1/3 of a cup, store the remainder in a container for another time).
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Place the chickpeas in the food processor and pulse several times until the beans are processed but not smooth like paste. Even if you have a few whole beans, that is okay.
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In a large bowl, place the chickpeas, processed crackers, green onions, red bell pepper, red onion, parsley, mustard, lemon juice, ground flax seeds,garlic powder, dulse, salt and black pepper.
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Stir ingredients together. The mixture will be on the dry side – this is a good sign. If it’s easier, mix everything together with your hands (that’s how I do it).
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Form the mixture into 6 equal patties. Make them fat and round (you will be pressing them out a little in the next step).
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Heat the oil in a large enough pan to hold all 6 (if you do not have a large enough pan, you will need to fry them in two batches).
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When the oil is hot (I mean hot, not warm. To test if the oil is hot enough, put a small amount of water on your fingertips and flick the water in the oil. If it sizzles, you’re ready to go).
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Place the Crab Cakes in the oil and allow to cook until the underside gets brown, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook until crab cake is brown on the other side.
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Make the mayo below and serve on your favorite gluten free bread / bun. Alternatively, you can serve this on top of mixed greens and topped with the mayo.
Notes
To make some Sweet Balsamic Mayo: Place some vegan mayo in a bowl and add equal parts balsamic vinegar and agave nectar (start with 1 teaspoon of each and see what that does for you). Whisk to combine. Try it and adjust to your taste.
I made these today and they were pretty tasty. I made them GF and they were still good. I might suggest making the mixture the night before since there is a lot of prep work with the patties.