Um…have you ever seen bigger portobello mushrooms in your life?
It got me thinking: what did the first person who actually ate a mushroom actually think before shoving it in his / her mouth? They are far braver than I.
How was your weekend, friend?! Partake in any St. Paddy’s festivities?
A few friends and I brewery-hopped on Saturday, and I am so happy to be sitting here on my couch in my sweats with Game of Thrones re-runs on the TV.
I had a ton of fun with my friends, but man. Like…there’s something truly magical about a lazy day in, you know?
Especially when there’s food to eat! Like these! Vegan Crab Cakes.
Don’t they look so…realistic?! They look, taste, and smell just like crab cakes, with nary a cute little crab needed.
Intrigued? I thought so. :)
So when I thought about making this recipe, I took to Google. The idea of “vegan crab cakes” is not original to yours truly. There are tons of different recipes, using ingredients like hearts of palm or jackfruit as the “crab.”
I wanted to do something a little different, using an ingredient that’s a bit easier to find for everyone. So when I stumbled across some canned artichokes at my local grocery store, I knew I needed to try it.
And by golly…it worked. It worked SO well.
Canned artichokes are made up of a few different parts: the stem, the leaves, the heart, etc. So when you chop them up, some parts shred while others are more chunky – kind of like real crab meat! So cool, right?
The rest of the “crab cake” ingredients are pretty standard. Ish. Red pepper, Old Bay Seasoning, breadcrumbs are typical. Hummus, roasted seaweed, and aquafaba…not so much.
That said, you need these three weird ingredients to complete the whole crab cake experience:
- Hummus – replaces the mayo or cream cheese that’s typically used to bind crab cakes together; feel free to use vegan mayo here, but I’m just not a fan
- Roasted Seaweed – for that “sea” taste!
- Aquafaba – more binding; this is our egg-replacer!
Mix it together, stuff into some portobello mushroom caps, and bake until done. Yum yum yum!
I’m just so tickled with how these turned out. It’s pretty spooky how crab cakey they are! I served mine with some lemon and a “remoulade” sauce on the side, and I was a very very happy camper.
An easy, filling vegan meal, perfect for even the laziest of days.
PrintVegan Crab Cake-Stuffed Portobellos
An easy one-bowl vegan crab cake recipe! Made with artichoke hearts, this 30-minute meal will surprise and satisfy vegans and non-vegans alike!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
1/4 cup aquafaba from a can of chickpeas*
2 14-oz. cans whole artichoke hearts (packed in water), drained and chopped
1/2 cup plain hummus
1/2 large red pepper, minced
2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
5 sheets roasted sea salt seaweed snacks, crumbled
~3/4 cup breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat!)
salt + pepper
3–4 large portobello mushroom caps
olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or snag a large cast iron skillet and set it aside.
- Add your aquafaba to a large bowl. Whisk until frothy, about 20 seconds. Add your chopped artichokes, hummus, red pepper, Old Bay, seaweed snacks, and breadcrumbs. Mix until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Carefully scrape the gills from the mushrooms and remove the stem. Rub the outside with a thin layer of olive oil, and then stuff with the “crab” mixture.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
*Aquafaba is the liquid in a can of chickpeas. I just drained my chickpeas into a bowl, and measured out 1/4 cup of the liquid to use in this recipe. Use the chickpeas for recipes like this, this, or this!
My remoulade sauce recipe was super janky and simple, but pretty good! I used plain hummus, some Sriracha, a nice squeeze of some German horseradish mustard I had in the fridge, and some water to thin. Tangy and delish. There are plenty of remoulade recipes online too!
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