Home accessories: Southern Crab Cakes with Corn-Avocado-Black-eyed Pea Salsa -- Foodie Friday -- April 5th

I spent my early childhood in New Orleans, and in later years, I shuffled between Tennessee and Orange Beach, Alabama. So it's no wonder that "crab meat" is synonymous with "comfort food."

This week, I'm bringing two recipes to Foodie Friday: crab cakes and avocado-bean salsa.

My eldest son, Chef Trey, lives on the Carolina coast, and he gave me both recipes. If you love cornbread and barbecue, be sure to check out his fantastic dish, BBQ Cornbread Casserole.
(I was dealing with a picky eater and added cheese
to one half of the dish.)

Crab Cakes

2 cans white crabmeat (I bought Reese all-white crab meat; add 1 more egg if you use fresh lump crabmeat)

1 c plain bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

1 c. chopped onions/green peppers/celery mix, sauteed in oil-and-butter

Land O' Lakes unsalted butter (or bacon drippings)

Canola oil

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

1 T mayonnaise

1 T sherry (or cooking sherry)

salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)

Tabasco (to taste)

In a large frying pan, add 2 T. butter and 2 T. canola oil. Add raw vegetables and sautee until onions are clear and veggies are tender. Set aside

to cool. Drain crabmeat in colander, then pour sauteed veggies over meat. After draining, place meat and veggies in a deep mixing bowl. Add 1 beaten egg and mix. Add mayonnaise, sherry, salt, pepper, and Tabasco. Blend. Add breadcrumbs and mix. Shape mixture into patties and roll each pattie in Panko bread crumbs (I spread the crumbs onto waxed paper).

Into a large skillet, add 2 T butter and 2 T oil. Heat on medium flame. Add crab cakes. Cook 3 minutes or so on each side. You may have to flip the patties more than once. Remove the patties.

Avocado-Corn-Bean Salsa

Note: For a more blended taste, prepare the salsa early in the day and refrigerate.

1 c. canned yellow corn niblets (if you use fresh corn, shuck and silk 3 ears, then boil them in lightly salted water and cut the kernels from the cob. You can also roast the corn.)

1/2 can black eyed peas (drained)

1/2 chick peas (drained)

1/2 cup green pepper, chopped

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

2 avocados, chopped

1/2 cup chopped red onion

juice of 1/4 lemon

1 teaspoon white granulated sugar

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

cilantro or flat-leaf parsley (optional)

Drain niblet corn (or prepare fresh corn) and place in deep mixing bowl. Add drained peas, chopped tomatoes and avocados. Squeeze lemon juice over mixture. In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, vinegar, and sugar. Salt and pepper to taste. You might need to adjust the sugar and salt. Pour vinaigrette over the corn-bean-avocado mixture and stir. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Spoon over crab cakes.

Click for Printable Recipes.

For a memorable meal, serve crab cakes with cole slaw and hush puppies.

** If you make this recipe (or any Rattlebridge recipe), send me a photo, and I will feature it on the blog, Facebook, or Pinterest.

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Check back during the week, when Rattlebridge will post a Foodie Friday "Spotlight" feature.

**On Thursday evening and Friday, several FF recipes will get shoutouts on Rattlebridge Farm's Facebook page, Twitter, and Pinterest.

** Foodie Friday is celebrating its 4th anniversary next week, April 11-12th (a bit belated this year). Hope to see you!

**Look for a great giveaway.

**Plus, I will introduce Foodie Friday's

new co-host.