James Martin recipes: From crab and corn fritters to clam rolls

His latest book, American Adventure, James Martin whips up the best of the classic recipes the US is so well known for, from sticky barbecue ribs to the best of the shrimp available

Pretty as a picture: Pretty as a picture: Corn is a stable in American food, use the sweetest variety for this soup

James Martin is defending the cuisine of the United States, arguing that we should no longer cast Americans aside as makers of sweet and sugary snacks such as pretzels and doughnuts.

His journey from east to west coast takes in the best of the food scene from the Michelin-starred restaurants to new and surprising finds in "middle America", which wasn't as stereotypical as he thought (all cowboys and pick-up trucks). He visits Santa Cruz markets, artichoke farms and the vineyards of Napa and finds the best way to barbecue and is inspired by all the people they met along the way.

Martin's sole aim for the book is to change people's perceptions of American food and to "forget politics – it's the people that make American great".

Crab and corn soup with fritters

Wherever you go food shopping in the States, there will always be plenty of corn on offer. Simple to make, this dish uses the sweetest corn on the husk. You can also make it with tinned sweetcorn, if you like.

Serves 4

For the soup

2 tablespoons butter
½ white onion, finely diced
1 green (bell) pepper, finely diced
2 celery sticks, finely diced
1 tablespoon plain (all-purpose) flour
6 tablespoons white wine
500ml hot chicken stock
100ml double cream sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 corn on the cob, kernels removed
200g white crab meat
5cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely diced
1 lime, juiced

For the fritters

200g plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 medium eggs
200ml milk
1 corn on the cob, kernels removed
100g white crab meat
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
4 tablespoons butter

To garnish

edible flowers and spring onion (scallion) tops, thinly sliced
good-flavoured olive oil

To make the soup, put the butter into a large saucepan and place over a medium heat. Once the butter has melted and is foaming, stir in the onion, pepper and celery. Lower the heat slightly and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally and not letting the vegetables colour, then stir in the flour. Cook for a few more minutes to cook out the flour. Next, pour the wine into the pan, bring to a bubble, then stir in the stock. Turn up the heat slightly so that the liquid comes to the boil, then add the cream. Season, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook gently for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the fritters. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and eggs. Slowly add the milk and keep stirring so that the mixture forms a thick batter. It should be dropping consistency – to check, lift the spoon up and allow a dollop of the mixture to drop back into the mix. It should fall after a slight pause. Add the corn kernels, crab meat and parsley, season with salt and pepper and fold everything together.

Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat, add a tablespoon of butter and once the butter has melted and is foaming, place three large spoonfuls of the batter into the pan, well-spaced apart. Cook for ı–2 minutes until golden brown, then flip over and cook for a further ı–2 minutes. Lift onto a plate and repeat three more timesuntil all the batter has been used up and you’ve made ı2 fritters. Stir the soup to check the consistency (it should be fairly thick), then stir in the corn, crab, ginger, lime juice and taste to check the seasoning. Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle over the edible flowers and spring onion (scallion) tops. Drizzle with olive oil and serve with the fritters.

(Peter Cassidy)

Clam rolls and Boston baked beans

This is my version of a Po’ Boy – an open sandwich from Louisiana. The clams in the local market were off the scale, about the size of tennis balls.

Serves 3

20 large clams
1 litre vegetable oil, for deep-frying
125ml evaporated milk
100g plain flour
100g fine cornmeal

For the tartare sauce

2 medium egg yolks
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
​200ml olive oil
½ lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon capers, chopped
3 cornichons, chopped
6 baby pearl onions, finely diced
small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
small bunch of dill, chopped
sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper

For the Boston baked beans

200g piece bacon
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
100g baby pearl onions
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon English mustard powder
2 x 400g tins haricot beans, drained
small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

To serve

3 hot dog brioche buns
9 little gem lettuce leaves

Put the bacon piece into a saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Lift the bacon out of the liquid and cool, reserving the cooking liquor. Make the tartare sauce. Whisk the egg yolks and mustard together in a bowl. Slowly add the oil, starting with a drop at a time, and whisk continuously until the mixture starts to thicken and emulsify. Continue to whisk, pouring the oil in at a steady drizzle until all the oil has been added. Mix in the lemon juice, capers, cornichons, baby onions and herbs. Season and set aside. In a large saucepan, heat half the butter with the oil over a low to medium heat. Cut the bacon into large lardons, add to the pan and cook until crispy. Add the onions, cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then stir in the sugar and half the molasses. Allow the sugar to dissolve. When it’s bubbling, stir in the mustard powder and cook for 5–ı0 minutes until thick and syrupy.

Stir through the remaining molasses, the beans and the parsley. Put the clams into a pan with a little water. Cover, place over a medium to high heat and bring to the boil. Steam for ı minute to open the shells. Cool a little and remove the clams from the shells. Heat the vegetable oil in a deep-fat fryer to ı80°C/350°F or in a deep heavy-based saucepan until a breadcrumb sizzles and turns brown when dropped into it. Note: hot oil can be dangerous; do not leave it unattended. Line a large plate with kitchen paper.

Pour the evaporated milk into a bowl and mix the cornmeal and flour in a separate bowl. Season the flour mixture. Dip the clams first in the milk then in the flour mixture and deep-fry forı–2 minutes. Drain on the kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt. Slice the buns, two-thirds of the way through. Fill with lettuce, top with the clams and the tartare sauce. Serve with the beans.

(Peter Cassidy)

Lamb with squash, aubergine and tahini dressing

I made this dish using the wood-fired oven at the stunning Amber Waves Farm. The Hamptons was a beautiful place, one of my favourites on the trip, but the one thing that will stick in my mind more than anything was the $170 (£124) I paid for 12 lamb chops!

Serves 8

2 racks of lamb, 8 chops on each
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic bulb

For the vegetables

3 small squash or pumpkins,1.2kg
3 green peppers
4 small aubergines
2 garlic bulbs
4 tablespoons olive oil

For the tahini dressing

5 tablespoons tahini
300g cream cheese

To serve

2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
small bunch of dill, chopped
small bunch of coriander, chopped
small bunch of mint, chopped
2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
1 lime, juiced

Slice the racks of lamb into chops on a board then set aside. Prepare the vegetables. Cut the squash in half and remove all the seeds then cut into four or five wedges, each around 2cm (3/4 in) thick. Halve the peppers and remove the core, then cut each half into two.

Cut the aubergines (eggplants) into quarters lengthways, then halve the garlic bulbs and pop all the vegetables into a large roasting tray. Drizzle over the oil, season well and toss everything together.

Pop into the pizza oven for ı0 minutes or into a regular oven, preheated to the highest temperature and roast for 20–25 minutes until golden and tender.

Make the tahini dressing. Put the ingredients into a medium bowl, season and fold together.

For the lamb, heat a large roasting tray on the hob over a medium heat until hot – you may need to use two rings if the tray is very large. Drizzle the oil into the tray, then place the chops onto the tray.

Season and cook for 2–3 minutes. Flip each one over then cook for a further 2–3 minutes. Take the tray off the heat and rest the chops for a few minutes.

To serve, spread the tahini dressing all over a platter, top with the roasted vegetables and lamb chops, then sprinkle over thesesame seeds, herbs and chillies. Lastly, pour the lime juice over the top and serve.

James Martin’s American Adventure by James Martin (Quadrille, £25) Photography © Peter Cassidy