Tal Ronnen's Fresh Hearts of Palm Vegan Crab Cakes

Created by Tal Ronnen and Scot Jones of Crossroads Kitchen

Photo by Chris Olivas

These fresh heart vegan crab cakes are Chef Tal Ronnen’s incredible original recipe which he serves at his world-famous restaurant, Crossroads Kitchen, in West Hollywood, California.

Chef Tal and his right hand man, Chef Scot Jones, have perfected this technique of poaching our fresh hearts with kombu (edible kelp) and Old Bay seasoning to give them that tender, meaty texture, and that fresh, ocean flavor. Tal and Scot then fork apart the meaty poached hearts to create their legendary vegan crab cakes.

Ingredients

Breading Mix

• 6 cups panko bread crumbs

• 2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning

Crab Cakes

• 4 cups fresh hearts of palm

• ¼ cup finely chopped jalapeno

• ½ cup finely chopped green onions

• 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning

• 1 tablespoon toasted ground nori

• 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar

• 1 cup drained chickpeas

• 1 ½ cup Vegenaise

• 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder

• Salt and Pepper to taste

Poaching Liquid

• 12 cups water

• ½ cup sugar

• ½ cup Old Bay seasoning

• 1 sheet of Kombu (edible kelp)

Instructions

To Poach the Fresh Hearts of Palm

1. Combine all the poaching liquid ingredients in a large pot and bring to a simmer

2. Add fresh hearts of palm and poach them for 15 minutes

3. Remove the fresh hearts of palm from pot

4. Chill for 45 minutes before making the cakes

To Prepare the Vegan Crab

1. Squeeze all liquid out of the poached fresh hearts of palm and put them in a food processor.

2. Pulse them just enough so they look like lump crab meat.

3. Do not puree…try and keep a little chunkiness to the hearts of palm.

4. Remove the hearts from the processor and put in a large mixing bowl.

5. Put the chickpeas and the Vegenaise in the food processor and process them until they have a smooth consistency.

6. Add these to the processed hearts of palm in the mixing bowl.

7. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

8. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

9. Refrigerate for 4 hours before making cakes.

To Prepare the Crab Cakes

1. Using a 2 ounce scoop, scoop cake mix and place onto a sheet pan.

2. In large mixing bowl, combine the Breading Mix ingredients.

3. Take a cake mix ball and roll and toss with the Breading Mix until you completely coat the ball in the Breading Mix.

4. Form the balls into hockey-puck shaped cakes.

To Pan Fry and Serve the Fresh Hearts of Palm Crab Cakes

1. Heat 2 inches of oil to 350 f in a cast iron skillet or heavy sauce pan.

2. Place the cakes in the oil and brown them on both sides until golden brown.

3. Place the cakes on a plate lined with paper towel.

4. Pat the dry before serving (3 cakes per serving)

5. Serve with fresh tartar sauce