Vegan Jackfruit Crab Cakes with a Lemon & Dill Aioli 

Back in quarantine, one of my favourite things to do every week was watching weekly Adsolation episodes from One Peak Creative (our video production agency!). If you haven’t checked out their ads, what are you waiting for? During some of their long shoot days, they shared on their Insta stories that Kaitlyn Dickie whipped them up the most amazing vegan feasts. I’m talking, pies, stir-fries, sandwiches, and so many more drool-worthy meals. I secretly wished she was prepping my food during those days! LOL!

After craving all of the items she was prepping for One Peak, I asked Mindy (our Marketing Director!) to reach out to see if she would be willing to contribute to our blog! Luckily, she agreed, and today she is sharing her vegan CRAB CAKE recipe!! These babies are the perfect addition to your holiday appetizer roster.

Let’s dive into the delicious content, shall we? Take it away, Kaitlyn!!

About me

Hi everyone, Kaitlyn here! This is my first time contributing to Jill’s blog so I thought I should share a little bit about myself before I introduce you to this recipe. I am a Kelowna local and I’ve lived here pretty much my whole life. One of my favourite things to do is travel, this past year I have been enjoying exploring and adventuring in my own backyard. I feel so fortunate to live in beautiful British Columbia where I can go hiking, camping and spend many of my summer nights in a tent on a mountain somewhere. When I am not in nature, I love being in the kitchen creating new recipes or “veganizing” recipes from my mom or my Grandma’s old cookbooks. With that passion and my love for good food, I started a blog and an Instagram account where I not only share my adventures, but also delicious plant-based recipes, cruelty-free favourites, zero-waste tips, and ethical products. All that said, I feel that I am in alignment with Jillian’s values and those of her amazing community so it is an honour to be here.  

Vegan Jackfruit Crab Cakes

I thought I would share a fun recipe that is versatile enough as an appetizer or a main dish with a salad. And my Vegan Jackfruit Crab Cakes with a Lemon & Dill Aioli fit the bill. I have prepared these quite a few times, even for my non-vegan guests, and they are always a crowd-pleaser! By topping them with a light and citrusy dill aioli, trust me, no one will get crabby that there is no real crab in this dish. 

I use jackfruit in many of my recipes because of the texture. It shreds well, it soaks up the flavour, and it is reasonably priced. Jackfruit is rich in Vitamin C & A, high in fibre, potassium, iron, and calcium, and it has 3 grams of protein per cup. 

Vegan Jackfruit Crab Cakes with a Lemon & Dill Aioli 

5 from 6 votes

Recipe by From the Kitchen of Jillian Harris

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups 1.5 shredded and finely chopped jackfruit. I buy mine in a can with brine. Make sure you don’t buy the one in syrup.

• ½ cup finely chopped marinated artichoke hearts 

• 2 tbsp 2 of the liquid from the artichokes

• ¼ cup of red onion, finely chopped 

• ½ cup of finely chopped celery 

• ½ cup chickpea flour 

• Optional: 1 tbsp finely chopped (or powdered) Nori sheet (seaweed sheet used for sushi or as a snack) – I just put mine in a coffee grinder 

• 1 tsp 1 fresh lemon juice

• ½ tsp dried dill 

• 1 tsp 1 Old Bay seasoning

• ½ tsp sea salt 

• Crack of pepper 

• For Breading:

• ¼ cup of chickpea flour 

• ½ cup breadcrumbs (gluten-free if necessary) 

• ½ cup unsweetened plant milk – I use soy or cashew 

• Lemon Dill Aioli:

• 1/2 cup 1/2 Vegan mayo – I use the Hellman’s brand

• 1 tbsp 1 fresh lemon juice

• Pinch salt 

• ¼ tsp dried dill or fresh dill

• crack of pepper 

• 1/2 tsp 1/2 dried tarragon

Directions

• Drain and rinse your canned jackfruit, pat dry with a clean tea towel. 
• Shred the jackfruit using your fingers. You want the pieces to be about the size of a macaroni noodle. If the core pieces are too hard, you can either chop them really small or save them and add them to your morning smoothie for an extra protein boost. 
• Add the shredded jackfruit to a medium-sized bowl. Then add the artichoke hearts, 2 tbsp of the liquid, celery, red onion, lemon juice, old bay seasoning, salt, pepper, dill, and nori sheet (if using). 
• Mash together with a fork before adding the chickpea flour. 
• Before getting your hands messy, I like to get the following steps all set-up: In a shallow bowl, mix the rest of the chickpea flour with the breadcrumbs. In another shallow bowl, add the plant milk. 
• On medium heat, add vegetable oil to a pan so that there is about a ¼ inch deep of oil. 
• Place the bowl of plant milk next to the breadcrumb mixture and get ready to start making patties. 
• Using a medium-sized cookie dough scoop form cakes between your hands, try and get a consistent shape and size. Place each cake in the breadcrumb mixture, followed quickly by the plant milk. Shake off the excess plant milk and then dip it back into the breadcrumb mixture, covering completely. Once it is breaded, add it into the hot pan. Repeat the process until the pan is full. Work in batches so as not to overcrowd the Vegan crab cakes. 
• It is important not to fiddle with the cakes too much so that they don’t fall apart. Let the first side get nice and brown before flipping. If they are sticking, don’t worry. They should unstick once that side is crispy enough. If the oil is splattering too much, turn the heat down a little bit. 
• Serve the cakes warm, top them with the lemon & dill aioli, and enjoy!

If you like this recipe, come and say hi over on Instagram as I’d love to hear from you!

Until next time!

Kaitlyn