We were blown away by Gardein’s vegetarian take on fish filets, so when we saw that they had more meat-free seafood options, we were eager to try them out. We’ve been scouring the freezer aisles for the Gardein Mini Crispy Crabless Cakes for a while now, and we were thrilled when we finally found them.
Gardein says that the best way to cook up these bite-sized treats is on the stovetop. We tossed the cakes in a pan and started cooking, but we quickly ran into some problems. Our cakes were crispy and brown on the outside before they were cooked through in the middle. We wound up having to toss them in the oven for a few minutes before they were ready to eat. Because of this, we’d recommend skipping the stovetop instructions and tossing these snacks straight into your oven.
Here’s the real question: do these cake actually taste like crab? According to our seafood-eating crew members, the answer to that question is a no. While one staffer compared them to chicken, no one seemed to think these bite-sized treats tasted like they were made from any sort of sea creature at all. Of course, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Even if you normally avoid seafood, you might be able to scarf down these snacks.
The cakes are a little on the dry side, but there are a lot of appealing flavors at play here. On the outside, they’re crispy and savory. On the inside, they’re soft and tart with a strong lemony flavor. We could see these pairing nicely with sweet, spicy, or creamy sauces. We tried dipping them in honey, and we kind of dug it, although the unusual flavor combination won’t be for everyone. We also think they’d taste great with tartar sauce, sweet chili sauce, or even a spoonful of sour cream.
If you’re a crab lover that’s trying to give up seafood, Gardein Mini Crispy Crabless Cakes might not satisfy your cravings. However, if you’re a fan of Gardein’s meatless treats, then these snacks are definitely worth trying. If you experiment with different dipping sauces, you will probably find a flavor combination that you won’t be able to resist.
To learn more about the nutrition content, ingredients, or cooking instructions in these vegetarian crab cakes, check out our package scans below.
