Corn Fritters

I got a chance to test drive the new Cooking Channel while visiting our folks in Texas with their cushy satellite tv. Kate can vouch for the fact that HD TV makes for some really wonderful Saturday afternoon naps. It was just before and just after such a nap that I caught a few episodes of Bill's Food, featuring Australian chef Bill Granger.

Bill was whipping up some of his restaurants signature dishes, including these amazing looking corn cilantro pancake things. I was pretty devastated not to find his exact recipe online, but this version is fairly close to what I recall. Bill actually pureed some of the corn in addition to using whole kernels, so I may give that a try in future versions.

Even after our fresh ears of corn revealed a few caterpillars, these were a serious hit. The recipe reminds of falafel, especially with the gratuitous use of cilantro.

Corn Fritters
Adapted from Simply Recipes
Yields 14-16 fritters

1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup water
2 cups of corn kernels, (see steps for cutting corn from a cob) cut from 3 large cobs (or frozen corn, defrost and drain first)
4 large scallions or green onions, finely sliced (about half a cup)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Olive oil (or oil of your choice for frying)

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, ground coriander, and ground cumin in a medium bowl.

2. Add egg, lemon juice and water. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add the corn, onions, and cilantro. Stir until just combined

3. Heat a large frying pan on medium high heat. Add enough oil to generously coat the bottom of the pan. When oil is hot (shimmering not smoking), spoon about 2 heaping tablespoons worth of batter into the pan to form one fritter, patting it down with the back of the spoon. Note that the fritters will splatter like mad as they cook (I nearly lost an eye). So, either use a screen splatter guard, or wear long sleeved clothes.

4. Leave about 1/2 inch between the fritters in the pan. Let cook about 2-3 minutes on each side, flipping the fritters when they are nicely browned on one side. When browned on the other side, remove the fritters to a plate lined with paper towels. Add oil as needed to keep the bottom of the pan well coated.