Jumbo Lump Crab Cake & Sweet Corn Chow-Chow

Chris Clime

 Ingredients

    Yields 4 Crab Cakes

    1 lb Maryland jumbo lump crabmeat 
    3 dashes Tabasco sauce
    1 lemon juiced
    1 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
    1 tbsp chopped chives
    2 tspn kosher salt
    1/2 cup mayonnaise
    1 whole egg large
    1 tbsp dried breadcrumbs (not made from bread crust)
    1 tbsp grape seed oil
    drawn butter

Procedure to pick crabmeat

Fill two bowls with ice and place a smaller bowl on top of each ice bath. Place the crabmeat into one of these smaller bowls to keep it chilled while you clean it. Fill this bowl with cold water. Grab small lumps of crabmeat and gently pick through the tops to remove any cartilage, being careful not to mash the meat or break up the lumps. To pick the shell out, dip your fingers in the water so the shell will stick to your fingers as you clean the meat. To remove the shell, dip your fingers into the water so it will go into the bowl. Place the cleaned meat into the other bowl.

    Sweet Corn Chow-Chow Ingredients
    3 ears yellow or white corn
    3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
    ¼ cup red bell pepper, diced
    ¼ cup red onion, diced
    1 tspn chiffonade cilantro
    Kosher Salt, Cracked Black Pepper

Roast the corn in the husks at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, and then shuck and slice of the ear. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and season to taste.

Directions

Carefully pick the crabmeat (see suggested procedure below) and refrigerate until needed.

In a mixing bowl, combine Tabasco, lemon juice, Old Bay, chives, salt, mayonnaise, and egg. Mix until all ingredients are well combined.

Gently add about two-thirds of this mixture to the chilled crabmeat, carefully folding it in so you don’t break up the lumps. Check the seasoning; you want to add just enough wet mixture to the crab to have it well seasoned, without adding so much that you have to add extra breadcrumbs. Add just a bit more of the wet mixture if needed (do not add it all –WHY MAKE IT IF NOT GOING TO USE IT? Because all crabmeat is different, and some is very dry, and some very wet, and you will end having to put to many breadcrumbs in your cakes, and they will not be very good!!), and then gently add in the breadcrumbs to bind the mixture together. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Divide the mixture into 4) portions and form crab cakes. (Note: You could make mini crab cakes if preferred.) Add about 1 tbsp grape seed oil to a non-stick pan and sauté the cakes until golden brown on one side. Flip the cakes and sauté on the other side until golden brown.

Transfer the cakes to a baking sheet. Top each with a little drawn butter and finish in the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes. Do not overcook; finishing them in the oven is just to help the cakes bind together and plump the meat.

Serve on top of sweet corn chow-chow, finish with tartar sauce and chives.