Vegan Filipino Crab Cake Omelete (Tortang Alimasag)
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Neither just crab cakes nor just crab omelette, Filipino Crab Cake Omelette or Tortang Alimasag is the best of both worlds plus more. Now it could be veganized too using okara or ground soybeans.
Serves: 15 patties
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil, plus 3-5 tablespoons for frying
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed, and minced
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 medium tomato, chopped
  • 1 medium potato (russet or red), peeled and diced
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch
  • 1 tablespoon chickpea flour
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 pound medium firm tofu
  • 1½ cup okara (artichoke hearts are a suitable alternative, see note below)
  • 4 seaweed nori sheets, pulverized (using a high speed blender or food processor)
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • ¼ teaspoon black salt aka kala namak
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • pinch of Old Bay seasoning
  • pinch of pepper
Instructions
  1. Heat medium size pan over medium heat. Once hot enough, pour one tablespoon cooking oil (I used canola). Saute garlic until slightly golden. Follow with onion and tomato. Add a pinch of sea salt to release flavors of the three. Cover pan, checking occasionally to make sure the potatoes won't stick to the pan. If they're beginning to, add a tablespoon of water and mix around then cover again.
  3. Once onion has turned soft and opaque, tomato has turned mushy, and potatoes have softened, turn off heat. Let cool until cool enough to touch (approximately 5 minutes, but then again I have asbestos hands).
  4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk corn starch, chickpea flour, and water.
  5. In a big bowl, place tofu, nori, and okara. Wash your hands thoroughly then crumble and mix the ingredients using your hands. Add kala namak, sea salt, Old Bay seasoning, and pepper. Mix well.
  7. Once sauteed ingredients are cool enough to touch, transfer to the tofu mixture.
  9. Pour corn starch-chickpea flour mixture one tablespoon at a time. Mix again using your hands. You should have a burger patty-like texture that binds. If not, make more cornstarch-chickpea flour mixture then add one tablespoon at a time. Be careful that you don't over wet the ingredients. Because there are no raw eggs involved, you could taste and add more salt and/or black salt if needed.
  11. Wash hands then heat a medium size pan to medium heat (you could use the same pan you sauteed on as long as it has a non-stick effect. I used a cast iron pan for my second pan).
  12. Pour three tablespoons of oil.
  13. With clean hands, grab a palm-size mixture and form into a patty then place on the pan to fry. Repeat steps until pan is full with patties.
  15. Fry for 5 minutes each side. It's best to flip over using a thin metal spatula so they won't break.
  17. Repeat steps until all patties are fried. Transfer to a serving plate and serve with side of ketchup. Garnish with rosemary (optional).
Notes
No okara? No problem. It's mainly there for texture. Just add more tofu or replace it with artichoke hearts.

If you're familiar with Tortang Alimasag, you know that they're usually served in crab shells. Obviously, I wouldn't want to do that with my vegan recipe. But feel free to get creative with a veganized presentation if you're up for it.

Most ingredients above could be bought at stores like Rainbow Grocery, Whole Foods, Sprouts, etc. But if you're not having luck, I've linked them to amazon.com where you could buy online. These are affiliate links - which means that if you buy the items, Astig Vegan may get a commission. This helps keep Astig Vegan content free. So if you've buying online anyway, you could support Astig Vegan too. Score for both us!
Recipe by ASTIG Vegan at https://www.astigvegan.com/vegan-filipino-crab-cake-omelete-tortang-alimasag/