Featured Recipe: Crab and Yellow Corn Cakes with Tomato, Corn and Chive Butter

This featured recipe is so good, I just had to re-feature it for any of you who may have missed it the first time. If you like crab cakes, you will LOVE this recipe by famed Charleston, South Carolina chef Donald Barickman. You can find this recipe and more in his cookbook Magnolias Southern Cuisine.

NOTES FROM THE CHEF:

The use of corn bread crumbs in this recipe makes these crab cakes unique. The other key is to chop the vegetables very fine. Otherwise, the cakes will crumble and break apart. While the size of your budget or the stature of your guests may determine the quality of your crab meat, try to buy the best that you can afford and try to never use frozen.

The Tomato, Corn and Chive Butter sauce requires a bit of reduction and is sensitive to an overly hot or cold temperature once you start to add the butter. It will acquire a nice rose color from the addition of the tomato. It’s loaded with fresh corn kernels and will accompany any seafood very well.

CRAB AND YELLOW CORN CAKES

Ingredients:

• 1 pound jumbo lump or lump crabmeat
• 1/4 cup finely minced red onion
• 1/4 cup finely minced red pepper
• 1/2 cup cooked fresh yellow corn kernels, chopped fine (1 ear)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1t. salt
• 1/4t. white pepper
• Dash of cayenne pepper
• 1 3/4 cups fresh Corn Bread crumbs (I used the already made cornbread from Wellspring - that’s Whole Foods for non-Raleighites)
  Olive oil for frying

Makes 12 cakes

Gently pick the lump crab meat over to remove any shell, but do not shred the crab meat or break down the lumps. Gently mix the crab, onion, red pepper, corn kernels, mayonnaise, basil, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Add the corn bread crumbs, mix out the mixture with a 1/4 cup measure to make the cakes. Use your hands to gently pat out the cakes.

Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan or a well seasoned sauté pan over medium heat. Pan-fry the crab cakes in two batches, adding more olive oil, 1 teaspoon at a time, if the pan dries as you cook. Sauté the cakes for 3-4 minutes on each side until they are golden brown, turning them only once. The crab cakes may be held in a 225 degree oven until all are sautéed.

Spoon Yellow Corn, Tomato and Chive Butter onto warm plates, place 2 crab cakes on each plate and serve immediately.

TOMATO, CORN AND CHIVE BUTTER

Ingredients:

• 13T. unsalted butter
• 2T finely minced yellow onion
• 1t. finely minced garlic
• 1/4c. dry vermouth
• 1c. chicken broth
• 2T heavy cream
• 1/2c. peeled, seeded and finely chopped fresh tomato (about 1/2 of a tomato)
• 1c. cooked fresh yellow corn kernels (about 2 ears)
• 1/4 cup chopped chives
• Salt to taste

Makes 2 cups

Heat 1T of the butter in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the vermouth. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vermouth is reduced by half.

Add the chicken broth and reduce the liquid by two-thirds. Add the heavy cream and continue to reduce the liquid until it thickens and becomes very bubbly. Add 1T of the chopped tomato and all of the corn. Reduce the heat to low and drop the 12T of butter in one Tablespoon at a time, after each melts, stirring constantly. Try to keep the temperature between 130 and 150 degrees when you are adding the butter. It is very important that the sauce does not boil, or the butter will separate. The butter will also separate if the sauce becomes too cool.

After the butter is incorporated, fold in the rest of the chopped tomatoes and the chives. Season with salt to taste. Serve immediately or hold in a warm area, like on top of the stove but off of the burner, for 30 to 40 minutes. Do not put the chives in until it is time to serve the sauce because their color will fade.

Buy Donald Barickman’s Magnolias Southern Cuisine cookbook from Amazon. Visit Donald Barickman’s website - www.magnolias-blossom-cypress.com