Chickpea "Crab Cakes"

Recipe By Kim O'Donnel from the book “The Meat Lover's Meatless Cookbook”

True story: Less than two weeks before this manuscript was due, with most recipes edited and determined fit for public consumption, I pan-fried a batch of my falafel patties (featured on page 48) for me and my husband, Russ. He took one bite into his falafel-on-a-bun and looked at me with all seriousness. "This falafel looks and eats likes a crab cake."

He was right. With thirty combined years of living in Washington, D.C. — crab cake central — we could both see that this chickpea patty had Chesapeake potential.

With the wild eyes of a mad scientist, I immediately went to work, replacing Middle Eastern falafel spices with Old Bay, the iconic Maryland seafood seasoning that's had a cult following for three generations. Out with the tahini, in with a yogurt remoulade and "horseradishy" cocktail sauce that transport you from the Mid-East to the Mid-Atlantic.

The result: Downright "crab-shacky."