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

Excerpted from ‘Magnolias Classic Southern Cuisine: Collected Recipes from the Heart of Charleston’ by Don Drake

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Published February 01, 2024

John D. Smoak III

Crab has always been a delicacy. Today, it’s become very expensive, and good-quality crab meat is getting harder to find. There are only a handful of local pickers on the East Coast and only two that I know of on the Gulf. I bet 90 percent of the crab meat in the grocery store comes from outside of the United States.

Fresh crab meat is available as colossal, jumbo lump, lump, backfin and claw. Most Southerners prefer jumbo lump crab, so this is what we serve. My personal preference is claw meat. It’s a working muscle with a sweeter taste — and it’s a lot less expensive. Claw meat does take more work to remove from the shell, but it’s worth the effort if you’re just making a small batch.

All crab meat should be picked over to remove any remaining shell. Once you open the container, use the lid and press lightly on the crab meat to drain off any excess liquid. Spread the crab out on a plate or baking sheet and check closely for shells. Try your best not to break up the lumps.

Crab and Yellow Corn Cakes with Tomato, Corn and Chive Butter

Makes 8 cakes

Ingredients

⅓ cup finely minced red onion
⅓ cup finely minced red bell pepper
⅓ cup fresh corn, cut off the cob
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon
⅓ cup Duke’s mayonnaise
1 pound jumbo lump crab or lump crab, well picked
¾ to 1 cup Cornbread crumbs (recipe follows)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 tablespoons light olive oil, divided
Tomato, Corn and Chive Butter (recipe follows)

Directions

In a mixing bowl, combine the onion, bell pepper, corn, tarragon and mayonnaise.

Gently fold in the crab meat. Add the cornbread crumbs, salt, white pepper and cayenne pepper. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes. The cornbread will absorb some of the moisture and the mixture will stay together. Divide the crab batter into eight equal balls. Form each ball into a puck-shaped patty and place on a baking sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large, heavy-bottom frying pan with a lid, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Carefully place four crab cakes in the pan and sear for 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden brown. I recommend frying them covered since the corn in the cakes will pop in the hot oil. Gently turn the cakes over and sear on the other side for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer them to a baking sheet. Wipe out the pan, pour in the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil, and repeat the cooking process with the other four crab cakes. When finished, add the remaining crab cakes to the baking sheet and place in the oven. Warm thoroughly for about 5 minutes.

Cornbread

Serves 4 to 6

After much personal debate and taking into consideration that most people’s preferred taste when it comes to cornbread is a little bit on the sweet side, this recipe is for y’all! It’s also delicious on its own with a little butter. The cast-iron skillet gives our cornbread a good crust.

Ingredients

1 seasoned, well-oiled 12-inch cast-iron skillet or a 9-by-13-inch baking pan
2 cups stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1 ¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Rumford baking powder*
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup sugar
4 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Canola oil, for oiling

Directions

book cover that says magnolias classic southern cuisine, collected recipes from the heart of charleston, don drake; photo of seafood and vegetables in a bowl

Gibbs Smith

Preheat the oven to 425°F. If using a cast-iron skillet, place the skillet in the preheated oven and allow the skillet to preheat, too. This helps make a golden-brown bottom crust.

In a large bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs, then whisk in the buttermilk. Fold the buttermilk mixture into the dry mixture. Stir in the melted butter and mix well.

If you are using a cast-iron skillet, remove it from the oven. Rub the skillet or a baking pan with canola oil to lightly coat. Pour the batter into the baking dish.

Place the cornbread on the top shelf of the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the top is brown and the center is firm. Insert a knife into the center to check for doneness. If it comes out clean, the cornbread is ready.

Allow the cornbread to rest in the skillet or pan for 8 to 10 minutes to cool slightly before cutting to serve.

*Note: The best baking powder to use in this recipe is aluminum-free baking powder, which contains no sodium aluminum sulfate, so it lacks the metallic taste. Rumford is a good brand of aluminum-free baking powder, found in most grocery stores.

Tomato, Corn and Chive Butter

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

13 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons finely minced yellow onion
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
¼ cup dry vermouth
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons heavy cream
½ cup peeled, seeded, and finely chopped fresh tomato, divided
1 cup cooked fresh yellow corn kernels
Salt
¼ cup chopped fresh chives

Directions

In a heavy-bottom sauté pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Sauté the onion and garlic for 2 to 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 1 tablespoon of the chopped tomato and all the corn. Reduce the heat to low and add the remaining 12 tablespoons of butter, one tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly. Allow each tablespoon to melt before adding the next tablespoon of butter. While adding the butter, try to keep the temperature between 130°F and 150°F. 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 remainder of the chopped tomatoes. Season with salt to taste. Add the chives and serve immediately or hold in a warm area, such as on top of the stove but off 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.