Monday, April 24, 2017

Jalapeño Corn Fritters


One of the things I say when I describe myself to people is that I'm nocturnal. It's not something that I particularly want to be, it's just something that I am. From the time I was a little girl, and used to read Nancy Drew books with a flashlight under the covers of my bed, I've always known that I was a late night person. Unfortunately, I also enjoy early morning, and this adds up to not getting a whole lot of sleep. I try to let my body tell me how much sleep I need, and this generally means that I'm up every night until one or two. Nighttime, I find, is my most creative time.

 

Last night I went to bed around two, and was shocked when I looked at the clock this morning. I figured that there must have been a problem with the clock battery because the clock read noon! Yeah, 12 o'clock. High noon. I couldn't believe I had slept 10 hours. As a consequence, I feel great today. Little tidbits of the flu still hang on, but I feel like I have my old energy back, so was thrilled to get into the kitchen.

The first thing I did was tackle the five ears of corn that my dad had given me. They had been in the fridge for a long time, and I was afraid of losing them. I was in the mood for something spicy, easy, and that would suit for brunch, because, let's face it, if you're eating breakfast in the afternoon, the best you can call it is brunch.

Long ago I’d seen a recipe for fresh corn fritters, and decided to come up with my own version. I’d husked, cleaned, and stripped all of the kernels off of the cobs earlier in the week (I was so exhausted that it, seriously, took me all day), put the cops into a freezer bag, and stuck them into the freezer for making corn stock later. (Be sure to always save corncobs, unless you've gnawed on them, to use in stock. It makes a huge difference in potato, corn, and other similar chowders.)

 

I set some of the corn aside, and measured out 2 cups. From there I seeded a vacuum-sealed, roasted jalapeno -- a new product from Melissa's Produce. (You are going to go crazy over this one! Melissa's packages roasted jalapenos. They’re vacuum sealed, and it makes adding smoky heat to dishes so darned easy. You have the wonderful roasted jalapeno taste, they are easy to seed, they chop like a dream, and I have been stirring these into absolutely everything, from my scrambled eggs in the morning, to soups and broths in the afternoon, to mashed potatoes in the evening. This is my new favorite Melissa's product. Yep, move over Fire Roasted Sweet Red Bell Peppers.)

The recipe for these fritters is below. Honestly, you and the entire family are going to love them. They are lightly seasoned, the taste of the corn comes through, there's a little bit of heat and smokiness from the jalapenos, and they make a great snack. Not only did I have them as an afternoon snack, okay, okay brunch, breakfast, whatever, but the next morning those that were left over I served alongside a fluffy mound of scrambled eggs. What a great summer dish this is going to be for your barbecues! Try them. I'm not kidding.

Jalapeño Corn Fritters


2 beaten large eggs
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups fresh corn kernels
1 thinly sliced scallion
1 finely chopped, seeded, Melissa’s Roasted Jalapeño
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt
Sour cream, chopped cilantro, and lime wedges, to garnish

Whisk together eggs, flour, Parmesan, salt, and cumin to combine. Add corn kernels, scallion, and 1/2 finely chopped seeded jalapeño; whisk to incorporate.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, cook heaping tablespoonfuls* of batter until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side; season fritters with salt. Serve with sour cream and lime wedges.

*I found that a big soup spoon works best for this. I tried one of those cookie scoops, but that made a right mess.

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4 comments:

Cee Pluse said...

So glad to hear you are finally starting to feel better - this has been such a bad year for colds and flus! The styling in your photo is just gorgeous, and the recipe is one that I am going to have to try (I love corn fritters).

Unknown said...

These sound A-MAZING! :)

I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, tips, and tricks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/

Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!

GRC_Ltd said...

Pattie, this is a winner! I've already started shucking the corn that has been staring at me accusingly from the counter.
Thanks for a sunny recipe to brighten up this wet, dreary Virginia day!

Miz Helen said...

I just pinned your awesome Jalapeno Corn Fritters, we will love this recipe! Hope you are having a great day and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday!
Come Back Soon,
Miz Helen