Tara Riddle: Lion's mane crab cakes (recipe)

The rise of the mushroom has been a fast-growing trend over the past few years. People are waking up in more ways than one to the mushrooms' great health benefits.

Whether people use mushrooms to expand their mind or expand their palate, they are definitely a top contender for one of the great superfoods being recognized in today’s world.

Anybody who knows me, knows I am a permanent fixture at the Carson City Farmer’s Market. Working as a vendor for Black Rock Bison means I get to see all of the fresh produce and interesting recipes that our local creative artisans come up with every week.

This week I headed over to talk to Nate at Mountain Mushrooms. He gave me this ingenious recipe to use for his famous lion’s mane mushrooms. I tweaked it a bit for my personal preference, but it originally came from him.

Lion's mane in particular helps protect against dementia, reduces anxiety and depression, repairs nerve damage, helps in managing diabetes, and provides you with the probiotics needed to reduce ulcers. So, let’s try something new and outside of our comfort zones with a great take on an old classic… The crab cake!

Let’s get started! This is hands down one of my favorite recipes of all time. This was the first time that I made these, and I am sure some of you well know that sometimes things do not always go as planned. This time, it was a breeze!

These are super easy to make. It actually took manually shredding my mushrooms the longest amount of time. The creative usage of the lion’s mane mushroom is impressive.

Lion’s mane is actually known for its lobster-like texture and flavor, so the classic crab cake is the perfect vehicle to experiment with. Nice and crunchy on the outside with a flavorful filling will have your taste buds exploding.

Ingredients

Serves 4

8 ounces of lion’s mane

1 egg

½ cup breadcrumbs

¼ cup onion finely minced

1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoons Worcestershire

1 teaspoons Dijon

¾ teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons of coconut oil (for frying)

Zest of 1 lemon

Ingredients: Garlic aioli

¾ cup mayonnaise

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 ½ tablespoons lemon juice

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Make your aioli first by whisking together all garlic aioli ingredients. Refrigerate while you make the crab cakes. Begin by shredding your lion's mane in a food processor or by hand. I like the texture of real crab cakes, kind of lumpy, so I chose to hand shred my mushies.

Make sure you squeeze out all excess moisture by pressing down with a paper towel after shredding. Then get your mixing bowl out and mix all the ingredients together. Form into patties. Oil pan and fry on medium heat for a few minutes (until golden) on each side.

This doesn’t take long. Serve with a squeeze of lemon and garlic aioli. These will surely impress any guests, friends, or family who are lucky enough to be able to indulge in all of your (not so hard) work. Enjoy! Tag me on Facebook with your recipes!

Tara Riddle is a real estate agent and property manager at Charles Kitchen Realty. She also works at the Farmer’s Market in Carson City or Black Rock Bison.