Lion’s Mane Mock Crab Cakes with Wasabi Cream

I was at the grocery store one day recently needing mushrooms. I had an out of town guest staying with me and she said she loved mushrooms. Rather than make typical sautéed cremini mushrooms, I decided to throw another type of mushrooms in with them. I surprised at the store I was in, which I don’t normally go to, how many different mushrooms they had that I never heard of. One of the most unusual of them was the Lion’s Mane mushroom. It looked like cute little pet!

When I got them home I did a little reading about them. They were said to take on the flavors of the other ingredients and impart a meat-like, like tofu. So I thought about it and decided to make them into mock crab cakes. I made them the usual way I make crab cakes.

Don’t wash Lion’s Mane mushrooms or they will soak up the water like a sponge. Mine were really white so this did not make me uncomfortable. Slice 4-ounces of these mushrooms into crab shaped pieces. In another bowl put in some finely chopped sweet onion, like maybe two to three tablespoons, add in an egg, the zest of one lemon, 2 tablespoons of cream and a pinch of salt and whisk together. Add the sliced mushrooms to the egg mixture as well as four crushed organic saltine-type cracker squares and loosely mix everything together.

Shape the mixture into six patties and set aside. Make the wasabi cream by pouring 1/4 cup of whipping cream into a chilled bowl and add in 1 teaspoon of wasabi paste, and set aside. In a frying pan, over medium high heat add about one tablespoon each of refined coconut oil and salted butter. When just the oils get hot add in the patties. Cook on each side for two or three minutes until golden brown. Garnish with chopped green onion and cilantro and serve with the wasabi cream.

I was really thrilled with this dish and am anxious to try Lion’s Mane mushrooms in other ways. They are medicinal and are reported to help with cognitive impairment, nerve injury, anxiety, stomach ulcers, inflammation, and even prevent cancer. “Let thy food be thy medicine” is this little dish!

“Raw carrots, cooked bamboo shoots, and cooked
mushrooms contain antibiotics that are safe to use
everyday. Like tetracycline and the macrolide
antibiotics, they (especially mushrooms) are also
anti-inflammatory.
-Dr. Ray Peat