Jalapeno and corn fritters

Moreish as. We serve these in quantities of three or six at the restaurant. People always, ALWAYS choose six. You’ll see why!

Credit: Hardie Grant Books

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  12 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 450 g (3 cups) frozen corn kernels, defrosted
• 1 tbsp no egg powder
• 2½ tbsp sugar
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 1 corn cob, kernels stripped, or an extra 75g (½ cup) frozen corn kernels
• 1 jalapeno, finely diced (seeds removed for a milder taste)
• 3 tbsp cornflour
• vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• coriander pesto or your favourite dipping sauce (see Note)

Instructions

Blend the defrosted corn, no egg powder, sugar and baking powder in a blender until you have a smooth puree. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.

Add the fresh or extra frozen corn kernels to the puree along with the diced jalapeno and cornflour. Gently stir to combine, then allow the mixture to sit for at least 15 minutes.

Heat enough oil for deep-frying to 170°C. To check the temperature of the oil, drop in a small spoonful of the batter. If it quickly rises to the surface, then you’re good to go.

To cook the fritters, use one soup spoon to scoop up the batter, then use another soup spoon to gently push the mixture off the spoon and into the oil.

Make sure there is enough room for them to move around a little in the oil.

The fritters will rise to the surface and begin to turn a golden brown. Flip the fritters over and cook the other side until crisp and golden all over – this should take about 2 minutes.

Note

• At the restaurant we serve these with coriander pesto, but feel free to serve them with any aioli or salsa. They’re so good, they won’t last long anyhow, so make sure you have some dipping sauce ready or people will eat them straight out of the fryer.

Recipe and image from Smith & Daughters: A Cookbook (that happens to be vegan) by Shannon Martinez & Mo Wyse (Hardie Grant Books, hbk, RRP $48), is available in stores nationally. Read our article on the authors and find more recipes here. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.