In a bowl whisk together the cornmeal, the baking soda, and the salt, add the egg, 1 cup of the buttermilk, and 2 tablespoons of the butter, and whisk the batter until it is smooth. Stir in the corn and let the batter stand for 10 minutes. The batter should be the consistency of thick pancake batter; if it is too thick, thin it with the additional buttermilk. Heat a griddle over moderate heat until it is hot, brush it lightly with some of the additional butter, and drop the batter by tablespoons onto the griddle. Cook the cakes for 1 minute, or until the undersides are golden, turn them, and cook them for 1 minute more, or until the undersides are golden. Transfer the cakes to a heated platter and make more cakes with the remaining batter in the same manner, brushing the griddle lightly with some of the additional butter before cooking each batch. The cakes may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled. Reheat the cake in a baking dish, covered tightly with foil, in a preheated 350F. oven for 15 minutes. Makes about 25 corn cakes. Gourmet May 1990