The Real Food Academy Miami's vegan crab cake recipe.
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Vegan Crab Cakes

By Chef Maria Cummins

Course
entree
Cuisine
vegan
Servings
4

Ingredients

  • 14 ounce can of hearts of palm (whole)
  • 1/4 cup scallions, chopped
  • 1 small carrot, shredded
  • 1/2 cup garbanzo beans
  • 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
  • 1 tsp fresh dill, minced
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • few pinches of salt
  • 2 tablespoons vegan Mayo
  • 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • Avocado oil, for pan frying

Instructions

  1. Place the hearts of palm into a food processor and pulse three times. You'll want the mixture to be broken up, but still a little chunky. Squeeze the excess liquid using a cheese cloth or a strainer. Transfer the mixture to a medium-sized bowl.
  2. Place garbanzo beans into the food processor or use a fork to mash the garbanzo beans to a chucky texture. Add in the mashed hearts of palm, the shredded carrots, and gently fold in the rest of the ingredients except the panko. Cover and allow to refrigerate for about an hour or up to overnight for best results but not necessary.
  3. When you are ready to make the crab cakes, place panko into a shallow wide bowl. While you are preheating your pan, divide the crab into balls, then flatten them out between your palms a bit. Gently place them, one by one, into the panko until well coated, tapping off any extra. They will be very fragile, so if they break apart, just gently reshape or adding a little flour will help.
  4. Coat the bottom of the pan with oil, wait one minute, and then gently place the crab cakes into the hot pan. Pan fry for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Transfer to paper towels to slightly drain.
  5. You can also bake these crab cakes. Just preheat a cast iron pan in a 450-degree oven. Drizzle the bottom of the pan with oil and place the dusted crab cakes into it. Flip so the tops are slightly oiled, and bake on each side for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.
Ingredients for Spicy Sauce
  • 1/4 cup sriracha mixed with 1/4 cup Vegenaise
Ingredients for Vegan Tartar Sauce
  • 1 cup vegan mayo
  • 1 cup dill pickles, finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons dried dill, or 2 tablespoons fresh, minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon squeezed)
Instructions for Vegan Tartar Sauce
  1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until combined.
  2. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Chef Maria Cummins

Born in Venezuela, Maria Cummins discovered her deep-rooted passion for food from an early age. Her culinary journey led her to Lima, Peru, where she immersed herself in the rich secrets of Peruvian gastronomy during part of her childhood. In her early twenties, she embarked on a new chapter by coming to the United States and delving into the Hospitality Industry in Boston, Massachusetts.

Maria's culinary adventure continued as she relocated to San Diego, California, where she made her mark by opening the renowned El Tucan Restaurant. Her extensive travels and diverse experiences greatly influenced her innovative culinary style, shaping the unique approach she is celebrated for today.

During her time in San Diego, Chef Maria not only honed her culinary skills but also gained a profound understanding of the importance of nutrition, particularly through the use of organic and unprocessed ingredients.

Today, Maria Cummins is the proud owner, founder, and head chef of the Real Food Academy, a culinary haven nestled in the vibrant city of Miami. Here, both kids and adults come together every week to share the joy of connecting through the power of Real Food and Real Fun!

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  • E Sch

    Great experience! I highly recommend. Class was very fun, immersive, chef Toni was great and very helpful.
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    Thank you to The Real Food Academy, especially Mayra, Ray and Paolo for making my daughter’s birthday party a memorable one! You all were amazing and the kids had a great time!
  • Tashie-Ann

    We truly enjoyed our experience celebrating our friend birthday. Thank you Chef Tony & Carmen for having us.
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    I enjoyed this event, the atmosphere was inviting, delicious, and high energy. I recommend for those who are open minded to learning another way of cooking with real, simple ingredients!
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    Chef Toni was amazing. Her professionalism and passion totally shined through and I will come again in the future.
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    Chef Toni was very clear and knowledgeable. She provided us with easy to follow instructions that made this sushi class an amazing experience!
  • Miss Lucas

    I love everything about this experience at The Food Academy. Amazing staff, amazing food and great expertise customer service. I will be back!
  • Bob Bernstein

    The entire experience from start to finish was flawless. Chef Paulo was very engaging, very informative, and lots of fun, the food exceptional, and the kids had a blast learning proper knife handling technique, building their tomatoe/basil/bufalo towers, making the pasta, and watching the fire explode out of the Bananas Flambe. The adults couldn’t get over how tasty everything was, espicially the turkey meatballs. The premises are immaculate, modern, and free parking is plentiful. 5 stars doesn’t do the experience justice. Bravo!
  • Heidi Reyes

    Great place and the staff are amazing
  • Jacqueline Cabrera

    What an excellent way to start the new year by learning how to cook more healthily. It is a beautiful location and wonderful instruction.
  • Hanna Cohen

    Such a great experience! Loved it a whole lotttt
  • Sharon Somekh, MD

    Amazing evening of cooking, eating, and fun. Chefs Toni and Paolo were so knowledgeable and accommodating. We had a few people in our party with specific dietary needs and each one was treated with such care and consideration. Food was delicious and experience was really fun. Highly recommend for a party or small gathering.
  • Sharon Somekh

    What an amazing place with the BEST staff!! We came a family of 40 to celebrate birthdays. We had so much fun! We enjoyed cooking our meal. Chef Toni, Paulo and the rest of the crew were so friendly, helpful and attentive!!
  • Jenny Somekh

    We had such an awesome experience for a family of 40! Adults and kids all had a fabulous time. The food we made was delicious we all had so much fun!
  • Gillermo Molina

    Maya and Rey were super cute, very polite and professional we really enjoyed the time with them. Definitely we recommend the real food academy.
  • Heather Hudson

    I love coming to this place! I’ve taken classes here multiple times with friends, as a girls night, date night with my fiance and etc— and have always had a great time! The pasta classes are DELICIOUS! There’s more than one. I’ve done 3 different kinds so far. 10/10 :)
  • Dannielle Corpora

    Maria does an amazing job. We had such a great experience and the meals and recipes were delicious. Will be back again.
  • Rene G

    Good wholesome food, good lessons. We had the opportunity to pick our own songs. 10/10

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Real Food FAQs

No. All Payments and Deposits are non-refundable: When a payment or deposit is made, that day and time is no longer available to other customers on our calendar. For that reason, all payments and deposits are non-refundable.

In the case of a cooking class, the ingredients are shopped for and prepped in advance. Staff is also scheduled according to the number of people on the roster.

See our Wine and Beer list for your in-house kids party options. Optionally, you can bring your own wine or beer and page a corkage fee.

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Bring outside beer: $40 for beer (any quantity)

We love it when our customers decorate our place. That said, you have no idea how difficult it is to clean these types of things up. As far as noisemakers go......you will be glad you left them at home as well. So please do not bring any of those things.

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