I watched the Foodnetwork show Big Restaurant Bet where the winning chef made these faux crab cakes out of Lions Mane Mushrooms. Everyone was raving about how great they were. I couldn’t find the winning chef’s recipe on the internet but I did find this James Beard award wining blog called Forager Chef. I thought that his recipe seemed pretty solid. A few minor things I did change to make the recipe a little more foolproof.

This recipe makes 4 servings

12 oz lions mane mushrooms (Whole Foods sells them in 6oz tubs cheaper than anywhere else I’ve found them ($5.99 a tub))

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

2 Tablespoons water

1/4 cup scallions – minced

1/4 cup red bell pepper – minced

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs (plus a small amount more ( 1/4 cup) to finish cakes)

1/4 cup high fat mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons cilantro chopped (or tarragon or parsley leaves)

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire

1 teaspoon Old Bay

1 large egg – beaten

sea salt to taste

non stick spray

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 shallot minced

1/4 teaspoon prepared horseradish

lemon wedges for serving

optional chives for serving

Directions

Break down the lions mane mushrooms into shreds. Add the mushrooms to a covered fry pan with the water and salt and simmer till the mushrooms are cooked. Take off the heat. When the mushrooms are cool enough to handle squeeze all the water out of them. I put mine in a colander over a tub to catch the liquid.

Now mix up the mix that you mix into the mushrooms.

In a medium bowl combine the scallions, bell pepper, 1/2 cup panko, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, herbs, Worcestershire, Old Bay, egg. Mix well and adjust seasoning if necessary.

When the mushrooms are drained and cool you can mix them into this mixture. Everything needs to chill very well. You need to let this sit in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours or over night.

This is when you might want to make the remoulade. In a small bowl mix together the mayonnaise, vinegar, soy sauce, smoked paprika, dijon, shallot and horseradish. Refrigerate and use when serving.

When you are ready to cook. Set your oven to 350 degrees F. and spray a baking sheet with neutral non stick spray. Make 4 even size patties and dredge them lightly in panko and place on baking sheet. Sprinkle each side lightly with sea salt and pepper.

They go on a middle rack for 20 minutes. Finish them and get them crispy by placing under the broiler a couple minutes on each side.

Look how flaky they come out. They have the texture very similar to crab.

Serve with lemon, remoulade, and chives if you have any.

A Special THANKS!!! To Forager Chef for his amazing recipe so I could come up with what you see here today!