Lion’s Mane ‘Crab Cakes’ Recipe

Previously I described growing Pekepeke-kiore, the NZ native Lion’s mane mushroom. In this post I share how I cooked this unusual (to me) mushroom, making Lion’s Mane ‘Crab Cakes’. Mushrooms in general have great nutritional benefits.

Since my post last week I have heard exciting news from Mushrooms by the Sea to say that they have just got confirmation that their unique cultivation technique has allowed them to produce both Erinacines & Hericenones (the same two dynamic bioactive compounds that are responsible for its cousin’s, Lion’s Mane (Herecium Erinaceous), brain function and health benefits. Previous production methods and studies of Pekepeke-Kiore have been unable to identify the presence of Erinacines. They have released a new website Mynd Mushrooms.

My lion’s mane mushroom weighed in at a healthy 450g. Here is the recipe I used:

45og lion’s mane mushroom
1 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Sriracha sauce or sweet chili sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning *
1-2 spring onions (chopped)
Handful of parsley or other herbs
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt/pepper to taste

Pull apart the lion’s mane mushroom into small chunks. It is a very strange texture, quite firm and it really does seem like you are using crab meat.

Mix bread crumbs, eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, chili sauce, Worcestershire sauce, seasoning, spring onions, parsley and lemon juice together in a large bowl until well combined.

Add the mushrooms and mix it all together using your hands. Form the mixture into balls and flatten into small cakes.

Heat olive oil in a pan over a medium heat. Place crab cakes in the pan leaving space between them.

Cook cakes for about 5 minutes before flipping and cooking the other side for another 5 minutes until nicely browned.

Mix together the Sauce:
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp chilli sauce
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning*
1/2 lime juiced

Serve crab cakes drizzled with a little sauce over each.

* Old Bay seasoning is a well known American seasoning blend. Although the exact recipe is secret I was able to find various recipes online and made my own seasoning blend.