WFPB Soy Curl Crab Cakes

Name: WFPB Soy Curl 'Crab' Cakes
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1 Tbsp ground flax meal; 3 Tbsp water; 8 oz dehydrated soy curls; 4 cups vegetable broth, oil-free; 2 cups water; 2 cups yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped ((about 2 medium onions)); ¾ cup carrot, peeled and roughly chopped ((about 1 medium carrot or about 6-7 baby carrots)); ¾ cup celery, roughly chopped ((about 1 large stalk or 1-2 medium stalks)); 1 tsp onion powder; 2 tsp poultry seasoning; 1 tsp old bay seasoning; ½ tsp kelp granules ((or ever so slightly more if you would like an enhanced ocean flavor)); ½ tsp garlic powder; ½ tsp sea salt ((or salt-free seasoning of your choice)); ¼ cup oil-free plant-based mayonnaise; 1 flax egg ((use "flax egg mixture" above)); ½ cup oil-free plant-based mayonnaise; 1 tsp dijon mustard; 1 tsp vegan worcestershire sauce; 1 tsp lemon juice; ¼ tsp smoked paprika; ½ tsp maple syrup; ¾ cup panko bread crumbs, whole wheat and oil-free is preferable; 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast seasoning; 1 tsp onion powder; ½ tsp garlic powder; ½ tsp old bay seasoning; ¼ tsp turmeric; 1 Tbsp parsley flakes ((or 3 Tbsp minced fresh parsley)); ½ tsp sea salt ((or salt-free seasoning of your choice))

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Soy curl crab cakes on a white plate with lemon wedges red grapes and greens

Light ocean flavor and 'just right' flakey crab cake texture

These WFPB Soy Curl Crab Cakes will amaze you with their light ocean flavor and 'just right' flakey crab cake texture. This recipe indeed has several ingredients and many steps but each step is quite simple. When I make these, I like to put on some of my favorite music and just enjoy the time each step of the way.

You can make these crab cakes ahead of time and heat them up later as well. Many of the simple steps can be completed ahead of time to make this recipe come together quickly when needed.

These 'crab' cakes can even be baked, frozen, and reheated in the microwave. They only take about 1.5 to 2 minutes to reheat from frozen!

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Light ocean flavor and 'just right' flakey crab cake texture
Flax egg
Soak the soy curls
Combine the veggie spices
Pulse until coarsely ground
Prepare the vegetables
Saute the minced vegetables
Add the ground soy curls
Prepare your burger mixture
Allow to cool
Prepare the crab cake sauce
Also, prepare the breading
Form and coat the crab cakes
Bake for 20-25 minutes
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ground flax and water in separate small glass bowls on wooden cutting board

Flax egg

Start by preparing your flax egg. A flax egg is made by simply combining ground flaxseed with water and letting the mixture sit for about 10 minutes or so. The "egg" forms a gel and works great as a healthy binder for recipes such as this.

soy curls in bowl with vegetable broth and water

soaked soy curls in colander in a white sink

Soak the soy curls

Next, pour the dehydrated soy curls into a large bowl and add vegetable broth and water. Soak the soy curls for about 10 minutes to rehydrate. Then, drain well using a colander.

Veggie spices in small glass bowls on wooden cutting board

Combine the veggie spices

While the soy curls are soaking, combine the veggie spices in a small bowl and mix well. Then, set aside.

soaked and drained soy curls in food processor

Pulse until coarsely ground

Place the soaked and drained soy curls in a food processor and briefly pulse until coarsely ground. Pulse in 5-second increments (about 15 seconds total). Then, place the ground soy curls back into the large bowl and set aside.

chopped celery white onion and carrot on a wooden cutting board

chopped celery carrots and onion in a food processor

minced carrots onions and celery in a food processor

Prepare the vegetables

To prepare the vegetables, roughly chop the celery, and peel & roughly chop the onion and carrot. Then, place the vegetables into the food processor and pulse briefly until the vegetables are just minced. Be careful not to over-process the vegetables. Over-processing would make them too liquified and cause your crab cake mixture to become soggy.

minced carrot onion and celery in a nonstick saute pan

Saute the minced vegetables

Preheat your nonstick saute pan to medium and saute the minced vegetables. While sauteeing, add the veggie spices to the pan and stir together. This is when you begin to experience the ocean aroma from the kelp granules! Aaaahhh...so nice! Cook until the onions are beginning to become translucent. This takes about 10 minutes.

veggie spices stirred into vegetables in saute pan

scraping nonstick pan of vegetables and soy curls with wooden utensil to demonstrate lack of excess liquid

Add the ground soy curls

Add the ground soy curls to the pan of vegetables and saute until cooked through. This should take about 5-10 minutes. At this point, the mixture will still be moist but any excess liquid should be cooked off. If you scrape the pan with a utensil, you should see very little liquid at the bottom of the pan (see picture above). Once cooked through, remove the pan from the heat and set aside for about 5 minutes.

ground flax and oil-free mayonnaise in small silver bowl

ground flax and oil-free mayonnaise whisked together

flax egg mayo mixture with soy curl veggie mixture in large silver bowl

soy curl crab cake burger mixture well mixed in large silver bowl

Prepare your burger mixture

To prepare your burger mixture, place the flax egg and oil-free plant-based mayonnaise in a small bowl and whisk together until well combined. Then, add this and the veggie & soy curl mixture to the large bowl. Stir very well to combine.

wfpb crab cake burger mixture in sealed container

Allow to cool

Scoop the crab cake burger mixture into a sealed container. Place in the refrigerator and allow to cool for at least 1 hour. This will help the flavors meld and will also help make the burger mixture easier to form into patties later.

oil-free mayo mustard and spices in small glass bowls on wooden cutting board

Prepare the crab cake sauce

While the 'crab' cake burger mixture is chilling, prepare the crab cake sauce. Simply place all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir or whisk together until well combined. Then, place in a sealed container in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve your crab cakes.

wfpb crab cake breading ingredients in bowls on wooden cutting board

wfpb breading ingredients in medium white bowl

wfpb crab cake breading in medium white bowl with metal whisk

Also, prepare the breading

Also, prepare the breading while the crab cake burger mixture is chilling. Simply combine the ingredients in a medium bowl and stir or whisk well. Then, set aside.

wfpb crab cake burger mixture and breading mixture with ⅓ cup measuring cup on wooden cutting board

wfpb soy curl crab cakes with breading on parchment lined baking pan

Form and coat the crab cakes

Once the crab cake burger mixture has chilled, prepare a baking pan with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 375 F. Scoop ⅓ cup of the burger mixture at a time and form into patties by squeezing and forming with your hands. Then, add the breading by holding each crab cake above the breading bowl and scooping breading over one side of the patty. Then, gently flip the patty to the other hand and scoop some breading over the other side. Once each patty is prepared, place it on the parchment-lined baking pan.

wfpb soy curl crab cakes on parchment lined pan after baking

Bake for 20-25 minutes

Once the patties are all formed and breaded, bake for about 20-25 minutes in your 375 F oven, until they begin to become just lightly browned. Then, remove from heat and allow to sit for about 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm, topped with the crab cake sauce you made earlier.

I really enjoy garnishing these WFPB soy curl crab cakes with lemon wedges and minced chives. The lemon wedges can be squeezed over the crab cakes to enhance the flavor. Enjoy! 😁

What steps of this recipe can be completed ahead of time?

Oh, so many of the steps of this recipe could be completed ahead of time! For instance, you could prepare the soak, drain, and grind the soy curls; chop and process the vegetables; combine the veggie spices, combine the breading ingredients, and/or prepare the crab cake sauce.

Can these WFPB Soy Curl 'Crab' Cakes be frozen?

These crab cakes actually freeze very well! Just freeze them covered & separated from each other, in a single layer. Reheating just takes about 1.5 to 2 minutes in the microwave! How convenient! 😁

What are soy curls?

Soy curls are a meat alternative made by boiling and dehydrating non-GMO soybeans. They're high in protein and are a good source of fiber as well.

wfpb soy curl crab cakes closeup on plate with lemon wedges crab cake sauce minced chives red grapes and green salad on white plate

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