Vegan Lion's Mane Mushroom "Crab Cakes" Recipe

Mushrooms and mushroom powders are all the rage right now because of their impressive flavors and versatility. One mushroom that has particularly gained attention is lion's mane, known for its unique appearance that resembles a, you guessed it, lion's mane. Lion's mane mushrooms offer a plethora of health benefits, so it's a no-brainer to use them in recipes whenever possible.

Wellness coach and recipe developer Miriam Hahn brings us this recipe for vegan lion's mane mushroom "crab cakes" and says, "I started researching the amazing benefits of mushrooms about 5 years ago and drink the powdered form of lion's mane in my coffee every day. It has only been within the last year that I have found actual lion's mane mushrooms available in stores and love working with them." The mushrooms have a unique texture that shreds and can mimic things like crab meat and even pulled pork when cooked with certain seasonings. So, if you're looking for a vegan alternative to the classic seafood fare, this recipe will yield some pretty impressive results.

To make this recipe first and foremost we need to buy lion's mane mushrooms. "They look completely different from regular button mushrooms. I usually find them boxed, and they will consist of a few large clusters versus individual mushrooms," Hahn explains. "They are very dense before they are broken down which is why 4 to 5 ounces will yield about 2 cups of them when they are shredded." To find them, you'll want to check health stores that tend to carry a wide variety of mushrooms.

While you are in the produce aisle, pick up some celery, onion, flat leaf parsley, and lemon. We'll need some ground flax seed to help bind the crab cakes, and that can also be called flax meal. In the dry goods area pick up some hearts of palm, vegan breadcrumbs or panko, nutritional yeast, vegan Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, oil, and dill pickle relish. The vegan mayo will be in the refrigerated section of the store. Then check your spice cabinet for Old Bay seasonings, dulse granules, salt, and pepper. "If you aren't familiar with dulse granules, you can find them either in the spice section or the Asian section," Hahn says. "They are derived from seaweed and will give us a slightly fishy taste (in a good way)."

To start off with, combine the ground flax seeds with the water in a small bowl. In about 10 minutes it will form a gel which will be the "egg" in this mixture.

Next up, focus on the mushrooms. When working with lion's mane mushrooms we don't want to wash them with water because they're very absorbent and will get waterlogged. Instead, just wipe off any dirt you see with a paper towel. For the most part they will be ready to go as-is. Start shredding the mushrooms by peeling vertically (like you would do for string cheese). We are going to be doing basically the same thing with the hearts of palm. It too will shred nicely and resemble the texture of crab. Cut the cylinders in half and shred from there so that the pieces are roughly the same size as the shredded lion's mane. Then dice the celery, onion, and parsley, and zest the lemon.

Pull out a large bowl and combine the mushrooms, hearts of palm, celery, onion, parsley, lemon zest, panko, nutritional yeast, Worcestershire, ¼ cup of vegan mayonnaise, Dijon, 1 tablespoon of Old Bay seasoning, dulse, salt, pepper, and flax seed mixture. Stir to combine, then form into 8 patties. Put the patties into the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up. This is not critical but will help the cakes hold together nicely while cooking.

Next, we'll make a simple tartar sauce like dip to serve with the cakes. Combine the remaining vegan mayo, ¼ teaspoon of Old Bay seasonings, and the relish. Stir, cover, and put in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

Now that the patties are chilled, we're ready to pop them into the frying pan. Heat up 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan and bring the heat to medium. When the pan is hot put in as many patties that will fit. Cook them for 5 minutes on each side or until they are browned. Set them on paper towels when they are done to drain excess oil.

Grab the sauce from the fridge and you are ready to serve. The "crab cakes" are a meal in themselves but you can pair with a simple soup like this easy sauteed spinach soup.