Zrab Cakes or How to Make Zucchini Taste Like Crab!

Don’t you love crab cakes? I mean who doesn’t, unless you have a tragic shelfish allergy (hi Dad!). As a lifelong Maryland girl, I think a love of crab cakes is practically REQUIRED. It might even be a question on the Maryland High School exit exams–you love crab cakes (true or false). Answer wrong and you might be stuck in high school for another year.

So don’t you want to make something that tastes like a crab cake without shelling out (okay, I’m cracking myself up here today) for crab meat?

Enter the amazing zucchini crab cake, or zrab cake for short.

Okay, I know you’re paying attention now. Because who wouldn’t want to know how to make something as cheap and plentiful (at least during a Maryland summer) as zucchini into something as delicious as crab cakes. All it takes it a little old bay and some panko…and it’s magic!

We’ve had this for dinner twice in as many weeks, and I just can’t get enough! Noel has declared it his favorite way to eat zuchinni–which is pretty high praise from a man who just barely tolerates the stuff.

Zrab Cakes
Adapted from the Washington Post

This recipe is really simple, and really easy for a weeknight, AFTER you get past the zucchini grating. If you have an appliance like a food processor with a grating attachment, that’s the way to go. You can leave your zucchini to drain while you do something else, and then this comes together in no time at all. Instant dinner success.

Ingredients:

2 cups coarsely grated zucchini
salt
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 egg beaten
1 ½ teaspoons to 2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning, adjusted to match your love of Old Bay
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
about 1 tablespoon mayonnaise or plain yogurt
Juice of ½ lemon
vegetable oil, for frying

Directions:

Place grated zucchini in a colander; sprinkle lightly with salt. Use your hand to move the zucchini around to make sure the salt is distributed. Let zucchini sit for about 30 minutes–don’t be shocked by the green juice!–allowing it to drain. Squeeze with paper towel to remove additional liquid – zucchini should be fairly dry.

Place zucchini and bread crumbs in a large bowl and mix together.

Place egg, Old Bay, Dijon, mayo, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Mix well.

Pour egg mixture into zucchini-bread crumb mixture, and mix gently and thoroughly. If mixture does not hold together, add a bit more mayo. Form into 4-5 patties the size of crab cakes. Heat a small amount of oil in a saute pan, and cook patties on both sides, browning well.

Serve with your favorite crab cake condiments–crackers, mustard, or in our case last week, leftover cornmeal biscuits. And eat away, because it’s only a vegetable!

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