Crab Cakes with Roasted Corn Salsa

Ingredients

For the Crab Cakes:

• 6 cups jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over
• ⅔ cup diced red onion
• 1 cup diced red bell pepper
• ½ cup chopped fresh chives
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning or Old Bay
• Juice of 1 lime
• 4 large eggs, beaten
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter

For the Spicy Mayo:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce
• Juice of ½ lime

For the Roasted Corn Salsa:

• 4 ears sweet corn, husks and silk removed
• 1 red onion, diced
• 3–4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
• Juice of 1–2 limes

Instructions

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. 2
   In a medium bowl, combine the crabmeat, onion, bell pepper, chives, and Creole seasoning. Mix the ingredients so that they are evenly distributed throughout the crabmeat. Add the lime juice, eggs, and mayonnaise and stir again until well incorporated. Add the panko and stir one more time, making sure everything is evenly dispersed.
3. 3
   Put the butter in a 13 × 9-inch baking dish and melt the butter in the oven; this should take no more than 1–2 minutes. Once the butter has melted, remove the dish from the oven.
4. 4
   Take about 2 tablespoons of the crabmeat mixture and pat it into a cake; place the crab cake in the buttered baking dish. Repeat until you have used all the crabmeat mixture.
5. 5
   Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven and, using a small brush, brush some melted butter from the bottom of the baking dish on top of each crab cake.
6. 6
   Bake for another 10 minutes. Using a spatula or butter knife, carefully lift the edges of each crab cake before removing it for plating. This will help ensure that the crab cakes don’t break apart.
7. 7
   While the crab cakes are baking, stir together the spicy mayo ingredients in a bowl. To serve, scoop some corn salsa (recipe follows) onto each plate and place a crab cake and some spicy mayo alongside.
8. 8
   For the Roasted Corn Salsa: Preheat a grill to medium-high heat.
9. 9
   Grill the ears of corn, turning occasionally, until lightly browned, 15–20 minutes.
10. 10
    Remove the corn from the grill and set aside to cool slightly. Once cool enough to handle, stand each ear over a shallow bowl and use a sharp knife to slice the corn kernels off the cob.
11. 11
    Put the corn kernels in a large bowl and add the onion, tomatoes, and cilantro. Stir well to make sure everything is nicely combined, then season with salt and pepper. Squeeze the lime juice over the salsa just before serving.