Vegan Crab Cake

[nverland]

Vegan Crab Cakes with Sriracha Aioli
Prep time 20 mins Cook time 15 mins Total time 35 mins Serves: 3-4

Ingredients
*For the Sriracha Aioli
1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4-8 hours and drained
¼ cup unflavored soy or almond milk
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. Sriracha sauce (or to taste)
Salt to taste
*For the Vegan Crab Cakes
2-15 oz. cans artichoke hearts, drained
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 cups panko breadcrumbs, divided
¼ cup whole wheat flour
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp. chopped chives
2 tbsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp. old bay seasoning
About ¼ cup vegetable oil, for frying
*For Serving
6-8 lettuce leaves
Fresh chives

Instructions
*Make the Sriracha Aioli
Place all ingredients into food processor bowl and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Season with salt to taste.
*Make the Vegan Crab Cakes
Place artichoke hearts, celery, 1 cup panko, flour, garlic, chives, Worcestershire sauce and old bay seasoning into food processor bowl. Pulse until artichokes are finely chopped and ingredients are well-mixed, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Keep the texture chunky and avoid over blending.
Place remaining cup of panko breadcrumbs into a small bowl. Generously coat the bottom of a medium skillet with oil and place over medium heat. Line a plate with a few paper towels.
When oil is hot, scoop up about a sixth to an eighth of the artichoke mixture and shape into a patty. Gently transfer to the bowl filled with panko breadcrumbs and coat both sides. Carefully place into skillet. Repeat, forming, coating and cooking another two or three patties (as many as you can fit into the skillet without overcrowding). Gently flip patties, one at a time as they begin to brown on bottoms, cooking about 3 or 4 minutes on each side. Carefully remove patties from skillet as they are done, and transfer to paper towel-lined plate.
Repeat until all of the artichoke mixture has been used, making a total of six to eight patties, and adding oil to the skillet between batches as needed.
*Serve
Divide lettuce leaves onto plates and top each with a vegan crab cake. Sprinkle with chives and serve with Sriracha aioli.

*Notes
Prep time does not include soak time for the cashews. If you don’t have time to soak them, boiling for 20-25 minutes will work in a pinch.
The cakes should be moist enough for the panko breadcrumbs to stick to them. If you have trouble, try brushing them with a bit of non-dairy milk.
You can, if you like, use the food processor to crush the panko breadcrumbs used for coating the cakes. This will give the coating a finer texture. It’s nice, but by no means necessary, but adds yet another food processor step to the recipe, so it’s totally your call if you want to expend the extra energy.