June 11, 2018

Vegan Fish Cakes

I’m always amazed how nori, an edible seaweed, can imitate the taste of seafood while giving you peace of mind that the fish are still swimming in the water. These fishy cakes are full of healthy goodness, have a wonderful texture and don’t fall apart when you take them out of the muffin pans. A light meal that is very easy to prepare and so tasty that a second serving might be inevitable.

Ingredients (for 12 fish cakes):

2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
5 Tbsp water
15 oz (425 g) cooked chickpeas
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium size carrot, finely diced
8 oz (227 g) cremini mushrooms, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 sheets sushi-nori, crumbled and shredded into small pieces
6 oz (170 g) baby spinach
2 tsp miso paste
1 tsp Celtic sea salt
1/4 tsp turmeric
freshly ground black pepper to taste
optionally, chickpea crumbs to coat with

For muffin pan:

extra virgin olive oil

for garnish (optionally):

lemon slices
sprouts
minced parsley and/or chives
mini bell pepper rings
cherry tomatoes

to serve with:

potatoes
vegan ranch dressing- or dip (this recipe requires soaked cashews and a high speed blender)

Preparation:

Wash and cut vegetables.

In a small bowl or cup, blend flax seed with water and set aside. This is called flax egg because it has a binding property like eggs.

In a large bowl, mash the chickpeas and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).

Preheat a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add olive oil with carrot, mushrooms, and garlic. Sauté for about 5 minutes until liquid from mushrooms has evaporated.

Now add spinach with the shredded nori sheets and quickly sauté for 2-3 more minutes until the spinach is wilted. Remove from heat.

Add sautéed vegetables to the bowl with the mashed chickpeas and combine with your flax egg, miso paste, Celtic sea salt, and turmeric. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper. I use my hands to combine everything, but you can as well use a spoon or fork.

Coat 12 muffin pan molds with extra virgin olive oil.

Now you have 2 options, to bread or not to bread:

If you like your fish cakes breaded, form 12 patties with your hands and coat them with chickpea crumbs.

Then place them into the muffin molds.

I actually tried both and liked the unbreaded version better where you just omit this step and distribute the fish cake dough evenly among the 12 molds.

Bake fish cakes in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

Here’s a very simple way to get these little guys out of the molds, and remember to use something to protect your hand from the hot pan(s)!: use a knife to trace around the edges, cover muffin pan with a large cutting board or platter, and flip everything. The cakes should come out easily and beautifully!