Surprise! These ‘Crab’ Cakes are Made with Zucchini

By Sandy Hu

Cherie Pollock of Orland, California, is one of those competent, talented home cooks who can whip up a beautiful gazpacho for 20 and still bake three pies from scratch for lunch. So when she told me about a recipe for ‘crab’ cakes made without crab, of course I was intrigued. Cherie didn’t know the origins of the recipe; she had received it from a friend.

I was skeptical of the outcome, at first. And had the recipe come from anyone but Cherie, I don’t know if I would have tried it. But I did yesterday, and when served hot and crisp, the patties were really quite good. And yes, they did taste surprisingly like crab cakes.

This is a nice budget recipe and a good option for vegetarians and people who can’t eat shellfish. You can serve this dish as an appetizer or the main course for a light supper.

Zucchini is still plentiful at this time of the year, whether you are growing them yourself or purchasing from a market. For more ways to use zucchini, try Katie’s Squashapalooza recipes.

I revised the ‘crab’ cakes recipe somewhat. And I added a sauce from Lori’s luxurious real crab cakes recipe to this mock version. If you try this recipe, please let me know what you think.

To get the recipe and shopping list on your smartphone (iPhone, BlackBerry, Android device) or PC, click here.

Zucchini ‘Crab’ Cakes
2 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (2 zucchini, about 12 ounces total)
¼ cup minced onion
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 ½ teaspoon Italian herb seasoning (optional)
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 cup dry bread crumbs
¼ cup all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil for frying
½ cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons capers, rinsed and drained
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large bowl, combine zucchini, onion, egg, butter, Italian seasoning and Old Bay Seasoning. Mix with a fork to combine. Stir in bread crumbs and mix well.

Scoop ¼ cup of the mixture at a time and shape into patties. Spread flour on a plate and dip patties into flour, turning to coat all sides; dust off excess.

Pour oil into a skillet to a depth of ¼ inch. Heat over medium-high heat until hot. Fry patties in oil until golden on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

To make sauce, combine mayonnaise, lemon juice and capers. Season with salt and pepper and serve with Zucchini ‘Crab’ Cakes.

Makes 8 patties.

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