Crab cakes have been considered an American classic for hundreds of years, but these lion's mane crab cakes are a modern and delicious twist. I make a lot of lion's mane recipes, and this is easily one of the easiest and tastiest. Try them with a remoulade sauce, or a lemon garlic aioli.
Lion's mane is my favorite superfood. Not only is it the perfect seafood substitute, but it's also chock-full of amazing health benefits. It is believed that lions mane mushrooms can support digestion, boost the immune system, fight cancer, and even help prevent dementia. In addition, they also provide cognitive support and can help increase focus and memory.
While many people swear by lion's mane supplements, my favorite way to enjoy their many benefits is by cooking with them. My favorite lion's mane recipe has to be a tie between these "crab" cakes and this amazing mushroom pasta. I always stop by the Mindful Mushrooms booth at my local farmer's market so I can stock up on lion's mane (and their chestnut mushrooms too!)
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🧐 Why This Recipe Works
- Lion's mane is an excellent crab substitute for anyone who has a shellfish allergy or a vegetarian diet.
- Lion's mane crab cakes are a quick and easy recipe that anyone can make!
- Lion's mane is a cheaper alternative to crab meat.
- This lion's mane recipe can easily be made vegan by using an egg substitute and vegan mayo.
- Lion's mane mushrooms possess so many benefits. They aid digestion, support immunity, and increase cell regeneration.
🛒 What You Need To Make Lion's Mane Crab Cakes
🔖 Recipe Ingredients And Substitutions
- Egg: To make this recipe vegan, you can use your preferred egg replacer. I recommend this one by Bob's Red Mill.
- Mayonnaise: Vegan mayonnaise will also do just fine.
- Old Bay Seasoning: I like Old Bay because it really enhances the lions mane's natural seafood-like flavor. If you prefer, you can substitute it with cayenne or any Creole seasoning.
- Panko bread crumbs: You can use any store-bought or homemade breadcrumbs. You can also use Saltine or Ritz cracker crumbs.
- Parsley: I used dried, but fresh is always better if you have it.
- Dijon mustard: Yellow mustard is the next best thing if you don't have or don't like dijon.
- Serrano Pepper: Green bell peppers are a great alternative if you don't want any added heat.
- Celery: This can be omitted or replaced with diced onions.
Ingredient Variations
Here are some alternative ingredients you may want to consider including:
- Fresh garlic
- Tabasco or your preferred hot sauce
- Green onions
- Finely diced tomato
- Tarragon
- Fresh dill
- Cilantro
🍄 How To Make Lion's Mane Crab Cakes
Step 1: Begin by shredding the lion's mane by hand into small pieces and add them to a medium-sized pot along with a pinch of sea salt and about 2 tablespoons of water. Cover and allow the mushrooms to sweat over low heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 2: Allow the mushrooms to cool, then squeeze the excess water out of them. Place the mushrooms in a large bowl.
Pro tip: Save the excess water to use for cream of mushroom soup.
Step 3: Add mayonnaise, egg, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, dijon mustard, celery, serrano, parsley, Old Bay, and Panko breadcrumbs to the mushrooms. Mix thoroughly.
Pro tip: I recommend allowing the mixture to chill in the fridge for at least an hour. This will make the crab cakes easier to form.
Step 4: Begin forming the cakes (coating your hands in flour will make this easier). Cover each side of the cakes with a healthy amount of flour and set them on a flour-coated plate.
Step 5: Fry the cakes in a pan or skillet over medium-high heat for about 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Set them on a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
🍯 Serving Suggestions
Garnish your lion's mane crab cakes with sour cream and chives, lemon garlic aioli, remoulade sauce, or sriracha aioli, and serve.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Lion's mane mushrooms, also known as Hericium Erinaceus, are one of the most commonly used mushrooms in gourmet cooking due to their uncanny crab-like taste and texture.
They're not only used as a crab substitute, but are often used to replace lobster meat and other forms of seafood as well. Make them into "crab" cakes, use them in "lobster" rolls, or sauté them in garlic butter and eat them with pasta! There are so many ways for these crab-like mushrooms to be enjoyed.
Lion's mane mushrooms are often described as having a taste similar to crab or lobster. Because of this, they are often used as seafood substitutes and pair well with all the same sides you would typically find served with shellfish-based dishes. Artichokes with butter, herbed potatoes, and spring mix salad are all great sides that would compliment lion's mane mushrooms no matter how they're prepared.
Although you might assume that cooking lion's mane mushrooms could rob them of their many nutrients and health benefits, this thankfully isn't the case. In fact, cooking lion's mane mushrooms actually enable your body to absorb all the nutrients found inside the mushroom more effectively than eating them raw.
Although lion's mane is most commonly marketed in capsule form, it's also considered to be an excellent ingredient to cook with, not only because of its nutritional value, but also because of its delicious seafood-like taste.
Lion's mane keeps well when stored in a paper bag in the refrigerator. They will keep for up to a week when stored in this manner.
👩🏻🍳 Pro Tips
- If you'd like your cakes to have a more uniform shape you can use a ring mold to form them.
- Peanut oil, corn oil, and vegetable oil are my preferred oils for frying.
- After cooking the "crab" cakes, you can store them in the fridge in an air-tight container for a couple of days.
- To reheat them, I recommend popping them in an air fryer or toaster oven to make them taste crispy and fresh again.
🦀 Related Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Lion's Mane Crab Cakes
Ingredients
- ½ lb lion's mane mushrooms
- 1 pinch sea salt
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 1 large egg
- 1½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoon celery
- 2 tablespoon diced serrano pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried or fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- ½ cup Panko bread crumbs
- ⅓ cup flour (for dusting crabcakes)
- ½ cup oil (for frying)
- 1 tablespoon chives (garnish)
Instructions
- Begin by shredding the lion's mane by hand into small pieces and add them to a medium-sized pot along with a pinch of sea salt and about 2 tablespoons of water. Cover and allow the mushrooms to sweat over low heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Allow the mushrooms to cool, then squeeze the excess water out of them. Place the mushrooms in a large bowl.
- Add mayonnaise, egg, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, dijon mustard, celery, serrano, parsley, Old Bay, and Panko breadcrumbs to the mushrooms. Mix thoroughly.
- Begin forming the cakes (coating your hands in flour will make this easier). Cover each side of the cakes with a healthy amount of flour and set them on a flour-coated plate.
- Fry the cakes in a pan or skillet over medium-high heat for about 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Set them on a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
Notes
- Save the excess water to use for cream of mushroom soup.
- I recommend allowing the mixture to chill in the fridge for at least an hour. This will make the crab cakes easier to form.
- If you'd like your cakes to have a more uniform shape you can use a ring mold to form them.
- Peanut oil, corn oil, and vegetable oil are my preferred oils for frying.
- After cooking the "crab" cakes, you can store them in the fridge in an air-tight container for a couple of days.
- To reheat them, I recommend popping them in an air fryer or toaster oven to make them taste crispy and fresh again.
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