Clean Cuisine’s Lump Crab Cake Recipe

According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, nearly a million Americans live with the nerve-damaging disease; 74 percent are women. Ivy Larson, a North Palm Beach resident, nutritionist, and author of the Clean Cuisine Cookbook, was diagnosed 24 years ago. Larson says she’s kept her symptoms at bay by following two principles: “reduce inflammation and optimize nutrition.” Larson’s lifestyle is consistent with research by Dr. Roy Swank, who discovered that MS patients experienced fewer flare-ups on an anti-inflammatory nutrition plan. The Clean Cuisine plan—developed with Larson’s co-author and husband, Andy, a physician and surgeon—focuses on “food in its most natural and nutrient-dense state, with a heavy emphasis on plant-based ingredients.” Flavorful, whole foods—fresh fruit, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and fermented foods—are key components of Larson’s recipes, which are available on the Clean Cuisine website. In January 2020, the Larsons gifted the site to its current curators, Aimee Harris Niedosik and Madison Suttles, who are both experts in autoimmune diseases from personal experience and from their well-known women’s online community, Autoimmune Sisters. 

Check out one of Larson’s most popular recipes below:

Lump Crab Cakes

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 5 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes

Serves 6

Crab Cake Ingredients

• 15. oz. can of black beans, drained, rinsed, and mashed
• 1/2 cup homemade bread crumbs
• 1 lb. jumbo lump crab meat, picked over
• 2 tsp. to 1 tbsp. Old Bay
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 organic eggs, whisked
• Avocado oil or Macadamia Nut oil, for cooking

Sauce Ingredients

• 1 cup homemade mayonnaise or store-bought mayo
• 1 tbsp. Sriracha
• 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• Sea salt, to taste

Preparation

1. Add the rinsed and drained black beans to a mixing bowl and use a pastry blender/masher to mash the beans.
2. Toast 2 slices of Canyon Bakehouse Gluten Free bread until golden brown. Let cool to room temperature. Chop into large pieces and add to the food processor to make homemade breadcrumbs. Add to the black beans.
3. Mix crab meat, chopped cilantro, Old Bay, and crushed garlic into the black beans and breadcrumbs until well combined.
4. In a small mixing bowl, whisk 2 organic eggs until well combined. Gently fold the egg into the cab mixture and mix until ingredients are just combined. Do not over mix!
5. Using a 3 tablespoon scoop, form the crab mixture into mounds and lightly pack into individual patties, about 1/2 inch thick.
6. In a large cast iron skillet, add avocado or macadamia nut oil and turn the heat to medium. Heat until shimmering, about 3 minutes and add the crab cakes gently to the oil.
7. Cook over medium heat until slightly toasted and heated through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the crab cakes to plates and serve with our special sauce for crab cakes recipe.

Sauce Preparation

1. In a small mixing bowl, add the mayo, sriracha, lemon juice, and garlic and mix until well combined.
2. Add the fresh cilantro and fold until combined. Sea salt, to taste.