Crab Cake Buddha Bowl

This Crab Cake Buddha Bowl is is a wonderful way to enjoy a meal packed with lots of crunchy veggie and seafood deliciousness in one dish.

This crab cake Buddha Bowl includes an Asian inspired crab cake along with rice, raw vegetables, a ginger garlic and soy dressing, and black sesame seeds. It's pretty delicious and satisfying.

I love the combination of the hot jasmine rice and crab cake along with the fresh cold veggies.

"What is a Buddha bowl?" you ask! While I'm not an expert, Buddha bowls consist of:

1. A base of grains, particularly whole grains, such as rice, quinoa, couscous, or farro. 
2. A variety of colorful raw vegetables. 
3. A protein, either plant or lean fish/meat.
4. A sauce.
5. Garnishes, such as herbs, seeds, or nuts. 

I'm pretty sure crab cakes and Buddha bowls aren't normally associated with each other, but when my friend Sue of Palatable Pastime chose this theme for Fish Friday Foodies, I spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about what I should make to do this theme justice. For some reason, adding a crab cake to a pile of grains and veggies sounded pretty tasty!

The crab cakes are the star of this dish, and they would be totally amazing on their own. They are flavored with ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and, yes, Old Bay Seasoning, because, how else would they be crab cakes?

Recipe notes: For this bowl, along with the crab cake, I used Jasmine sticky white rice for the grain. You could also use brown rice instead to be more true to the Buddha bowl concept.

For the vegetables, I took a shortcut and used two packaged mixed greens that I had on hand, one an Asian slaw with savoy cabbage, green cabbage, carrots, celery, cilantro, and green onions. The other greens are a mixture of kale, radicchio, and shaved brussels sprouts. I also added some red bell pepper and Persian cucumber.

For the sauce, I made a sesame ginger vinaigrette, and I garnished the dish with black sesame seeds and jalapeño slices.

This Buddha bowl made me very happy! After the recipe, be sure to check out the rest of the Fish Friday Buddha bowls.

Make ahead tip: The crab cakes can be made in advance and reheated in a toaster oven. They are wonderful in these bowls, on their own, or in sandwiches. The Vinaigrette can also be made several days in advance and refrigerated.

More Crab Cake Recipes:

Crab Cakes with Jalapeño Aioli

Mini Maryland Crab Cakes

Crab Cake Buddha Bowl Recipe

Ingredients

For the crab cakes:

• 1 pound lump crab meat
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons finely minced red bell pepper

For the Vinaigrette:

• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon pineapple juice
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

To assemble the Buddha bowl:

• Mixed greens: See Recipe notes above
• One large red bell pepper, cut into bite sized pieces
• Two Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
• Black sesame seeds
• One jalapeño, thinly sliced
• 2 cups hot, freshly cooked or reheated rice

Instructions

To Make the Crab Cakes:

1. Place the crabmeat onto a large plate and remove any shells. Place into the refrigerator.
2. Whisk the egg and mayonnaise together in a large bowl. Add the lemon juice, Old Bay, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, salt, mustard, and pepper. Whisk until smooth.
3. Add the breadcrumbs, bell pepper, and the crabmeat. Mix everything together, cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.
4. Spray a foil lined baking sheet generously with spray oil. Position a rack in the middle of the oven, and turn on the broiler to preheat.
5. Form the crab mixture into four patties, and place them on the foil lined baking sheet. Broil on one side for about 8 minutes, until golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and turn the crab cakes over. Return the pan to the oven and broil the other side for about 5 minutes, until browned.

To Make the Vinaigrette:

1. Place all of the ingredients in a mini food processor or blender and mix until homogenized.

To Assemble the Bowl:

1. Divide the rice among the bowls. Add the greens, peppers, and cucumbers. Place a crab cake on top of the greens in each bowl. Drizzle the bowls with the vinaigrette and garnish with black sesame seeds and jalapeño slices.

Yield: 4 bowls

Vinaigrette recipe adapted from The New York Times
Crab Cakes were inspired by Nick Malgieri's Bread: Over 60 breads, rolls, and cakes plus delicious recipes using them. 

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