Seafood, But Made From Plants

The amount of fish and other sea life killed for human consumption every year is astronomical and outnumbers all other species. Thankfully, more and more plant-based substitutes that successfully mimic flavor and texture are flooding the market (like Good Catch Foods and Sophie’s Kitchen). What’s even better, easily-sourced vegetables offer an incredibly versatile alternative to seafood. We asked Chef Tere Fox, who formerly ran NYC’s renown vegan restaurant Rockin’ Raw and now operates the catering company Jam Cakery Events, to share recipes for two of her most beloved dishes that she used to make for sold-out events. These mouth-watering King Trumpet Vegan Scallops and Heart of Palm Vegan Crab Cakes are perfect for any occasion, with no one was harmed in the process.

King Trumpet Vegan Scallops

Serves 6

Ingredients

5-6 king trumpet mushrooms
1 cup veggie broth
½ cup nori or dry seaweed
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Sea salt
Black pepper

Directions

1. Mix the veggie broth with the seaweed and garlic in a bowl, and set aside.

2. Chop the mushroom stems into 1” thick pieces (I can usually get 4-5 pieces per mushroom.)

3. Set mushroom pieces in a deep dish or baking pan and pour the veggie broth mixture over them. Let stand for 20-30 minutes.

4. Heat a sauté pan on medium heat, and add 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil or any vegetable oil you have on hand.

5. Place mushrooms neatly into the pan and sear on both sides for 5-8 minutes total.

6. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with sautéed spinach or fresh greens.

If you want to make this a raw dish, soak mushrooms in 2 cups filtered water, 1 large piece of kombu, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 2 teaspoon minced garlic for 3 hours. Then serve over baby arugula or any of your favorite greens.

Heart of Palm Vegan Crab Cakes

Makes about 24 patties

Ingredients

1- 15 ounce can drained chickpea (keep liquid)
2-15 ounce can heart of palm
¼ cup vegan mayo
Juice of 1 lemon or 1 tablespoon
3 tablespoon chickpea liquid
1 teaspoon tamari
⅓ cup scallions minced
2 cup bread crumbs plus 2 cups breadcrumbs for breading the cake cakes
2 teaspoon spicy mustard
2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 sheet of nori or ½ cup of salted seaweed snack
1 teaspoon minced garlic or garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
2 teaspoon dried or fresh parsley

For the breading and frying of the patties:
3 cups avocado oil for frying
1 cup plant based milk for breading only
1 cup flour for breading only

Directions

1. In a bowl, add the chickpeas and heart of palm. Hand mash until slightly chunky and smooth, and set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk the chickpea liquid until slightly foamy. Then add vegan mayo, lemon juice, tamari, mustard, and all of the herbs and spices. Mix well.

3. Combine the chickpeas and heart of palm mash with the chickpea liquid mix, along with the 2 cups of breadcrumbs, and the scallions into the mixing bowl.

4. Set mixture in the freezer to set for 20-30 minutes.

5. Create a flouring station: 1 cup any plant based milk, 1 cup flour, 2 cups bread crumbs.

6. Remove mixture from freezer, lay parchment paper on a baking sheet and start to bread. Make 3 ounce circle-shaped cakes, dip in the milk, then dip in the flour, then dip in the breadcrumbs until completely covered. Set aside.

7. Heat up frying oil in any 3″ deep pan. Test with a drop of water or piece of bread to make sure oil is ready for frying. (You will know it is ready to fry when it sizzles and bubbles with the test ingredient.)

8. Then submerge 3-4 patties at a time, and fry for 3 minutes until golden brown.

9. Let cool on unwaxed parchment paper for 2 minutes, then serve.

For garnish, or to use as dip: Blend ½ cup dill, 1 clove garlic, 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, and 2 cups mayo until smooth.