Corn Fritters

I love corn fritters. So on the rare occasion that I see them on a menu, I order them. But I'm usually disappointed. They just seem dry, like maybe they're mostly corn meal. And I'm guessing the corn isn't fresh, so they're just okay, not very exciting. But these corn fritters were everything I want in a fritter. I'm sure using fresh, sweet, farmer's market corn was a big part of that. But I do think it was also the perfect proportions of everything else in the recipe. Plus the mixture of whole and grated kernels helped achieve the perfect texture. So I've found my corn fritter recipe and unless you can convince me that your corn fritter recipe is somehow better, I'm sticking with this.

CORN FRITTERS

Yield: 12 fritters

1 1/2 lbs. fresh corn, husks and silks removed (3 to 4 medium-large ears)

1 egg, beaten lightly

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons cornmeal

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 small shallot, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 pinch cayenne pepper

vegetable oil as needed

1.      Cut enough whole kernels from the ears of corn to yield 1 cup. Place in a large bowl.

2.      Grate kernels from remaining ears on large holes of box grater (yielding 1/2 cup + of grated kernels). Place in the bowl with whole corn kernels.

3.      Using the back of a knife, scrape any pulp remaining on all cobs into the bowl.

4.      Stir in beaten egg, flour, cornmeal, cream, shallot, salt and cayenne. Batter can be prepared ahead; cover & refrigerate up to 4 hours.

5.      Heat about 1/4-inch oil in large heavy bottomed non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Drop 6 heaping tablespoons batter in pan for each fritter. Fry until golden brown or about 1 minute per side.

6.      Transfer fritters to plate lined with paper towels. Serve immediately.

from America's Test Kitchen

corn-on-the-cob

slicing kernels off the cob

(I recommend doing it directly into the bowl.)

grated corn

I wasn't sure whether to include all the corn milk,
since the recipe didn't say. I decided to add it
to the bowl and the batter wasn't too liquidy.

whole kernels mixed with grated kernels

everything else added

fritter batter mixed

fritters frying

fritters flipped

beautiful, golden corn fritters

These are so good that my daughter's friend Emily
enjoyed them (and her mom says she doesn't even like corn).
Maddie and her friend Samantha liked them too
(but they already like corn, so that's not as impressive).

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