Fresh Zucchini, Corn and Crab Cakes with Blistered Cherry Tomatoes

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.