Crispy vegan crabless cakes

Switching to vegan doesn't mean giving up on your favorite comfort foods! Chef, Lauren Toyota reinvents classic crab cakes with artichoke hearts and chickpea flour. You won't even miss the crab with this delicious deep-fried dish.

Prep
20 min
Total
35 min
Serves
10 cakes

crispy crabless cakes

INGREDIENTS

Batter

Horseradish Dill Aioli

METHOD

  1. Combine the ingredients together for the aioli in a dish and refrigerate until serving.
  2. Drain the marinated artichokes, reserving 2 tablespoons of the liquid to use in the mix. Finely chop the artichoke hearts and add to a large mixing bowl with the remaining ingredients for the crabless cakes. Combine well with a fork. It’s important that the artichokes, shallots, and celery are very small and uniformly chopped so that the cakes will stick together while frying.
  3. Heat vegetable oil (at least 1 to 2 inches) in a large cast iron skillet or heavy bottomed pan to about 375 F.
  4. Add chickpea flour to a wide shallow dish, then use another shallow dish for the breadcrumbs, and a bowl for the milk.
  5. Take 1/4 cup of the mixture and form a round thick patty with your hands. Gently place the crab cake in the chickpea flour and coat all sides evenly. Quickly submerge in milk ensuring all the flour looks wet, then remove it from the liquid and place in breadcrumbs. Using your hands, cover the cake in breadcrumbs getting all sides well coated, then lightly shake off any excess.  Batter all the cakes and set aside on a plate or baking sheet before frying in batches.
  6. Delicately place 2 to 3 breaded crabless cakes in hot oil at once, depending on the size of your pan. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown, flipping half way through.
  7. Gently remove the cakes with a slotted fryer spoon and place onto paper towel to absorb any excess oil.
  8. Serve immediately with The Horseradish Dill Aioli. Leftovers can be heated over medium heat in a pan that’s lightly coated with vegetable oil.