Crispy Vegan Crabless Cakes With Horseradish-Dill Aioli

Lauren Toyota

Crispy Vegan Crabless Cakes With Horseradish-Dill Aioli

This vegetable-forward take on the classic fishy dish is absolutely delicious when paired with tangy, fiery horseradish aioli. 

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Serves: 4
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These artichoke-based crabless cakes can make any weeknight in feel like a five-star dinner. Pair this recipe from the Hot For Food Comfort Classics cookbook with pesto pasta and a glass of wine for the ultimate fancy plant-based dinner. 

What you need:

For the horseradish-dill aioli:
⅔ cup vegan mayonnaise
1 tablespoon vegan horseradish
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
¼ teaspoon black pepper

For the crabless cakes:
2 cups drained marinated artichoke hearts, finely chopped, plus 2 tablespoons liquid
¼ cup finely chopped shallot
½ cup finely chopped celery
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ cup chickpea flour
2 teaspoons coconut sugar
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 to 2 cups vegetable oil, for frying
Horseradish-dill aioli

For the breading:
¼ cup chickpea flour
1¼ cups multigrain bread crumbs
½ cup unsweetened vegan milk

What you do:

  1. For the horseradish-dill aioli, in a medium bowl, add all ingredients and mix until well combined.
  2. For the crabless cakes, in a large bowl, add artichoke hearts, shallot, celery, juice, flour, sugar, Old Bay, salt, and pepper. Combine well with a fork. 
  3. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat ½-inch oil to 350 degrees. 
  4. For the breading, in a wide, shallow dish, place chickpea flour. In another shallow dish add bread crumbs. In a small bowl, add milk.  
  5. Take ¼ cup of crabless cake mixture and form into a thick patty. Gently place cake in chickpea flour and coat all sides evenly. Quickly submerge in milk and make sure all flour looks wet. Remove from milk, place in bread crumbs, and coat all sides of cake well, lightly shaking off any excess. Set coated cakes on a plate or baking sheet. 
  6. Once all assembled, immediately deep-fry in batches. Delicately place 3 cakes in hot oil. Fry for 4 minutes until golden brown, flipping halfway through. Gently remove cakes with a slotted frying spoon and place on paper towels to absorb any excess oil. Serve immediately with aioli. 
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