I started out thinking that I wanted to do zucchini and corn
fritters with parmesan cheese and Italian herbs and then I saw a package of
surimi (imitation crab) that I had thawed for a seafood salad. I’m glad I did.
These cakes, served with some fresh watermelon taste like summer should.
Note: these are delicate, so if you find you want
them to hold together a bit stronger, add a few dollops of mayonnaise and some
extra panko bread crumbs. I suggest you cook a test cake and then see if you
want more filler. Some people do, some people don’t.
Ingredients (makes
10-12 cakes):
Zucchini, Corn and Crab Cakes:
2 medium zucchini, grated
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup corn kernels, about 2 ears (fresh is great and frozen,
thawed works well, too)
6 ounces imitation crab meat, in ½ inch pieces (this is
about 2/3 of a standard 8 ounce package)
¼ cup green onions, chopped
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 whole egg and two egg whites, lightly beaten
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
1-2 teaspoons seafood seasoning like Old Bay®
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons canola oil for cooking the cakes, divided
Blistered Cherry Tomatoes:
1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes
2 teaspoons olive oil
Salt to taste
Directions:
Zucchini, Corn and Crab Cakes: Place the grated zucchini in a bowl and toss with ½ teaspoon salt.
Let sit for 20 minutes. Drain off any liquid and place the zucchini in a clean
kitchen cloth and wring until the zucchini is dry.
Add the zucchini back to the bowl and stir in the corn,
crab, green onions and parsley.
Fold the lightly beaten egg and egg whites into the zucchini
mixture.
Gently stir in the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, lemon juice and
seafood seasoning.
Heat a nonstick skillet on medium low and add a teaspoon or
two of canola oil. Shape a small handful of the zucchini mixture in your hands
to form a cake (the mixture will be wet-don’t worry. As they cook, the cakes
firm up), and place in the skillet (with a 12 inch pan, you can usually fit 4
at a time). Cook for 4-5 minutes per side. You will know they are ready to turn
when you can see golden brown bits at the sides. Remove from the skillet and
keep warm. Repeat with remaining canola oil and zucchini mixture.
For the blistered tomatoes, just toss the olive oil
and cherry tomatoes in a saucepan and heat over medium high heat. Cook,
stirring often, about 5-8 minutes until the tomatoes burst and season with
salt.
Spoon the tomatoes over the fritters and enjoy!
Tip: Crumble any leftovers into a bowl, chill
overnight and serve over lettuce the next day as a great salad.
