Earlier this year I was up in Boston for a trade show and had some amazing corn fritters at Legal Test Kitchen. I’ve been meaning to come up with my own take on them, but somehow summer slid by like a penguin on melting ice. In a last ditch attempt to wring a few more morsels of summer out of the farmers market, I picked up some of the season’s last sweet corn and set out to come up with my own fritters.
My goal was to create a spicy corn fritter that’s light and crispy on the outside, and chock full of sweet corn on the inside. To contrast the sweetness of the corn, I added some cilantro, chilies and garam masala which also gave it an Indian flair. It’s quick and simple to throw together, and if you happen to have one of these, stripping the corn off the cob becomes a tidy task that ends with all the corn in a little container rather than all over your kitchen floor.
The nice thing about these corn fritters is that they can be served straight from the pan with a sprinkle of sea salt and a drizzle of lime juice, but they’re also good reheated along with some chana masala. I’ve even made little sandwiches out of them with a bit of mango chutney and cheese in between two hot fritters.
Spicy Corn Fritters
2 ears of corn, kernels removed with a sharp knife
3 scallions sliced thin
2 Tbs minced cilantro
a couple minced red chilies
1 large egg
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt (less if you use regular salt)
1 Tbs toasted garam masala
black pepper
1/2 C flour
1/4 C cornstarch
1/3 C water + more as needed
Add the corn, scallions, cilantro, chilies, and egg into a bowl. Put the baking powder, salt, garam masala, pepper, and flour cornstarch in seperate bowl and whisk together. Add to the the vegetable mixture then stir in 1/3 C water until just combined (do not overmix).
Heat a skillet over medium high heat until very hot. Add 1/8″ of oil to the pan and drop spoonfuls of batter into the hot oil, using the bottom of the spoon to smooth the tops. Fry until golden brown on one side, then flip and fry the other side.
Serve by themselves or with a side of mango or tamarind chutney.
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