Tex-Mex Corn and Crab Cakes

Category(s):

Recipes

Appetizers

INGREDIENTS

Here, classic crab cakes get a little Tex-Mex makeover with the addition of corn and a refreshing lettuce, cilantro salad and citrus sauce on the side.

Chef’s tips: When purchasing panko (Japanese bread crumbs), there are name brands and generic versions. The generic is more or less the same product and it works perfectly well so please don’t bother paying the extra pennies for the fancy product packaging.

1 lb. lump crab meat, picked through for shell pieces
1-1/3 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
3/4 cup corn kernels, preferably fresh, cut off the cob
1 Tablespoon minced fresh flat leaf parsley
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups thinly sliced/shredded iceberg lettuce
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, good quality (lime infused if you have it)
Juice and zest of 1 lime
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup vegetable oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine the crab, panko, corn, parsley, 1-1/2 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon peppers in a large bowl. Gently stir in the eggs. With clean, damp hands, tightly shape the mixture into eight 3/4-inch-thick cakes and place them on a small sheet pan (cookie sheet). Set aside in refrigerator for ~ 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, toss the lettuce and cilantro together in a medium bowl, season with a drizzling of the EVOO and little salt and pepper to taste – toss gently. Arrange the salad on four plates. Use a fine zester, grate the zest from the lime and then squeeze the juice from the lime into a small bowl. Stir in the sour cream, and thin with a little water if necessary to make a pourable sauce. Season to taste with salt and set aside.
Heat 2 Tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Add 4 crab cakes and cook, flipping once, until golden brown, about 8 minutes total. Repeat with the remaining oil and crab cakes. Divide the crab cakes among the plates and serve with a drizzling of the citrus sour cream sauce.

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