I’m kind of late to hop on this bandwagon, but I’m going to anyhow. Don’t worry — there’s a recipe, too!
I don’t remember when, exactly, I came across Sophie’s Kitchen. It may have been in an issue of VegNews or Vegetarian Times, but the how and when really do escape me. It didn’t take long to run across them again. I was YouTube or maybe Instagram-stalking Cobi of Veggietorials and ended up watching her fab video for Okonomiyaki. She just happened to be doing a giveaway for some of the products she used, and the vegan seafood was one of the “prizes”.
I’m a lucky dawg.
Sophie’s Kitchen kindly sent me two coupons for free products, and I happily trotted off to the store, where the workers jealously regarded my prized coupons. Neener neener.
Vegan calamari may sound a little strange. I’ll admit that it even looks a little strange. No one flaking off the breading on the calamari rings would be fooled by the look of the things. The taste is right on, though, and went well with a sriracha-horseradish cocktail sauce. I did manage to overcook them a little, especially the rings where the breading flaked off. These became very rubbery and extremely chewy after cooling only slightly. The rings with intact breading were perfect. I think it was more user error than any product deficiency. I served the calamari with a fried tofu “egg”. It made for a fantastic breakfast.
The crab cakes have been languishing in my freezer for a few months — I wanted something “perfect” to use them for. I didn’t want the crab cake on its lonesome, or as part of a KrabbyPatty Sandwich. Still, in the course of my preparations, I pan-fried a crab cake and had a few small bites.
I wouldn’t call the texture entirely crab-like. It’s not stringy in the way crab meat is, but the taste is there. That’s all that really matters. If you were to take crab meat and process it into a paste (not that any of us would, poor crabbies!) before forming it into patties, you’d get a texture much like that of the SK vegan crab cake. The patties are lightly seasoned and very easy to prepare, and held up to both the pan-fry AND the oven.
Would I recommend these? Yes. They are, hands down, amazing products. I don’t use a lot of pre-made substitutes unless I’m short on time, and was never a huge seafood fan even in my pre-veggie life (Except sushi. Oh god, sushi!), but vegan seafood will likely have a spot in my freezer for quite some time. I’m looking forward to trying their scallops. On my wishlist would be an unseasoned lump “crab” — much better than pulverizing those beautiful crab cakes!
Baked “Crab”-Stuffed Avocados
- 1 Sophie’s Kitchen vegan crab cake
- 3T finely diced green onion tops
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- pinch salt
- 2T vegan mayonnaise
- 1 avocado, halved, pitted & peeled
- 1-2 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp dry unseasoned breadcrumbs
- pinch chipotle powder
Preheat oven to 375F.
Pan-fry the crab cake in a little oil until lightly browned and crispy. Pulse in a food processor or mash with a fork to break it apart.
In a small bowl, combine crab cake, green onion, pepper, salt, cayenne, and mayo. Stir until mixed.
Rub avocados with lemon juice. Slice the rounded bottoms so they can sit flat in a shallow baking dish, empty pits facing up. Stuff with the crab mixture. Top with breadcrumbs and a sprinkle of chipotle pepper powder.
Bake 20-25 minutes, or until bubbly and breadcrumbs are browned. Serves 2. Or 1 very hungry person.
*If you would like a little crunch in your filling, add 2T finely chopped celery and 1T diced red onion. This is great topped with a little sriracha.
Note: I was not required to give a review, favorable or otherwise, in exchange for the product coupons. I am doing so only because I genuinely liked this product, and am not receiving compensation, monetary or otherwise, from Sophie’s Kitchen (or any other company, individual, etc.) for this review.
You can find Sophie’s Kitchen on Facebook, Twitter, and their adorable website.
The Vegan Virtuoso 