Recipes & Food Styling

Crab Cakes and Sweet Corn Salad

I learned about the wonderful combination of sweet corn and luscious crab meat from two-time James Beard Award-winning Chef Sarah Stegner of Prairie Grass Cafe. For a Chicago Tribune food story in 2017, Sarah made us her sumptuous seasonal  omelet made with peeky toe crab and fresh sweet corn. Sarah’s crab and corn omelet was so delicious and colorful, and I will never be able to eat crab without corn again!   

For Memorial Day, I matched these two summer ingredients up again- I made a beautiful sweet corn salad, with fresh corn from the cob, to go with crab cakes.

At Whole Foods in Naperville, I discovered my new favorite “find”- fantastic lump crab meat by Chicken of The Sea. I promise you, this crab is so fresh and good; you will never need to crack open a crab again.  Perfect for salads, crab cakes and more!  

Crab Cakes with Sweet Corn Salad

Crab Cakes

5 whole lemons, for garnishing plate with lemon wedges and marinating crab in lemon juice

1 ½ pounds lump crab

1 ½ cups dried bread crumbs

1/4 cup Miracle Whip

3 green onions, chopped

3 teaspoons lemon zest (about 1 lemon)

1 ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 ½ teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

½ teaspoon Tabasco

2 teaspoons pink Himalayan sea salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper  

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 large egg

1 teaspoon fresh lemon thyme leaves

1 teaspoon chives, finely chopped

1 teaspoon lemon basil

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 stick butter

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

½ cup flour

The day before, cut 3 lemons and squeeze juice into a large bowl with crab meat. Add salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate until time to make the crab cakes.

Using your hands, combine all ingredients except for butter and olive oil and mix together thoroughly until combined well. Roll into 3-inch balls.

In a skillet on the stovetop, heat butter and oil. When bubbling hot, set 4 balls of the crab cake mixture into the skillet. Press down on each of the crab cake balls to form each into a flat pancake. Turn when golden brown on bottom and cook other side (fry for about 5 to 6 minutes on each side). Repeat this for all crab cakes.   

Sweet Corn Salad

5 ears of sweet corn

2 shallots, thinly sliced

1 vine-ripe tomato, diced

3 tablespoons Miracle Whip

2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar  

1 teaspoon pink Himalayan sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon fresh lemon thyme leaves

1 teaspoon chives, finely chopped

Using your largest mixing bowl, stand an ear of corn on end. Use a knife to shave down along all sides of the ear of corn. Do this for all five ears of corn.

Mix together all ingredients. Cover and let the flavors come together for a few hours in the refrigerator.

Remoulade Sauce

1/2 cup Miracle Whip

1/3 cup ketchup

½ tablespoon whole grain mustard

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 green onion, chopped

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon pink Himalayan sea salt

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Cover with plastic wrap and let flavors come together in the refrigerator for a few hours.