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
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
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.
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.
Combine the veggie spices
While the soy curls are soaking, combine the veggie spices in a small bowl and mix well. Then, set aside.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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! 😁
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.
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! 😁
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.
📖 Recipe
WFPB Soy Curl 'Crab' Cakes
Equipment
- food processor
- high-speed blender
- large bowl
- medium bowl
- small bowl
- large, nonstick saute pan (I use a 12 inch)
- vegetable peeler
- small whisk
- baking pan
- parchment paper
- colander
Ingredients
Flax egg mixture
- 1 Tbsp ground flax meal
- 3 Tbsp water
Soy curl mixture
- 8 oz dehydrated soy curls
- 4 cups vegetable broth, oil-free
- 2 cups water
Vegetables
- 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)
Veggie spices
- 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)
Burger mixture additions
- ¼ cup oil-free plant-based mayonnaise
- 1 flax egg (use "flax egg mixture" above)
'Crab' cake sauce
- 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
Breading
- 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)
Optional garnishes
- 2 Tbsp fresh chives or parsley, minced
- 1 lemon, sliced in wedges (squeeze a bit of lemon juice on the patties if desired)
Instructions
Prepare the flax egg
- Combine the ground flax and water in a small bowl. Stir or whisk well. Set aside for at least 10 minutes.
Prepare the soy curls
- Add the soy curls, vegetable broth, and water to a large bowl. Stir well and allow to soak for 10 minutes. Combine your veggie spices while the soy curls are soaking. When finished soaking, drain the soy curls well using a colander. Next, add the drained soy curls to a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground (5-second increments for about 15 seconds total). Then, place the drained and coarsely ground soy curls back into the large bowl.
Combine your veggie spices
- Add the veggie spice ingredients to a small bowl. Stir well and set aside.
Prepare the vegetables
- Add the roughly chopped onions, carrot, and celery to your food processor and briefly pulse until just finely ground (two to three 5-second increments, about 10-15 seconds total). Do not over-process or they will become too liquified.
Saute your vegetables & add your veggie spice mixture
- Add the food processed vegetables to a preheated large nonstick saute pan and begin to saute over medium heat. Keep the pan uncovered and stir occasionally. Sprinkle the veggie spices over the sauteeing vegetables. Cook the vegetables until the onions begin to become translucent. About 10 minutes.
Add the ground soy curls to the veggies in the pan
- Next, add the soaked, drained, and coarsely ground soy curls to the vegetable pan. Stir well to combine then cook and stir occasionally for 5-10 minutes more. Cook until heated through. If there is any excess liquid, most should be cooked off by this point. Then, remove from heat and allow the sauteed vegetable & soy curl mixture to cool for about 5 minutes.
Prepare your burger mixture
- While the veggies & soy curls are cooling, whisk the flax egg and the ¼ cup oil-free plant-based mayonnaise together. Add this and the sauteed veggies & soy curls to the large bowl. Stir together really well so that it's thoroughly combined. Then, scoop into a sealed container. Refrigerate this burger mixture for at least an hour. This will help the flavors continue to meld and will help make the mixture easier to form into patties later.
Prepare your 'crab' cake sauce
- While the burger mixture is chilling, stir or whisk your 'crab' cake sauce ingredients together in a bowl or other container. Place in the refrigerator to cool until it's time to serve your burgers.
Prepare your breading
- Combine the breading ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir or whisk well and set aside.
Form, coat, and bake the crab cakes
- When you're ready to bake the burgers, remove the burger mixture from the refrigerator and prepare a parchment-lined baking pan.
- Preheat your oven to 375° F.
- Next, by scooping out a packed ⅓ cup of the burger mixture at a time, form and squeeze the burger mixture into patties with your hands. As each patty is formed into a nice circular patty, hold it above the breading bowl in one hand while using your other hand to cover the exposed side with the breading. Then, gently flip the patty into your other hand and coat the other side as well.
- After coating with the breading mixture, place each patty on your parchment-lined baking pan and complete final reshaping if needed. The recipe makes approximately 12 patties.
- Bake the coated 'crab' cakes for 20-25 minutes or until they begin to become just lightly browned (see pictures in recipe post). Remove the baking pan from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Then, carefully remove the 'crab' cakes from the baking pan and place on your serving plate(s). Serve warm with a small dollop of your chilled 'crab' cake sauce on top of each burger or on the side.
Garnish (optional)
- Top with minced fresh chives. Also serve with lemon wedges. Squeezing a small amount of lemon juice over each burger can help to enhance the flavors even more.
One of my favorites, hands down!
Thank you, Nick! It's a favorite of mine, too! 😁
wanted to print out the recipe.... but even if it was printed on both sides, it would take 2 pieces of paper!!
Thank you for your comment, Carol. This is a recipe with several steps & though it does take 2 pieces of paper to print, my hope is that each relatively simple step is written clearly to make the cooking process easy & enjoyable.