Corn Fritters

December is a perfect time to make up a batch of fritters. In the U.S. fritters are small cakes made with a primary ingredient that is mixed with an egg and milk batter and either pan fried or deep fried. Flour, cornmeal or a mixture of the two are used to bind the batter. Corn fritters are often made with canned corn and are generally deep fried.

I know that for some of you, the corn season has probably been over for a month or two. But for those of you who are lucky and still can find sweet corn in your grocery stores… make these now! Seriously. Growing up in Southeast Asia, I have had a secret adoration toward fritters for as long as I can remember. It seemed to me that everything could be turned into fritters, from fruit to veggies. This recipe is very similar to the type of corn fritters that I grew up eating, except the addition of cheese (which I don’t mind in this recipe). I didn’t have any cilantro on hand (original recipe called for it), so I chopped up the basil leaves and mixed them into the batter (instead of just sprinkling them on top, again like the original recipe called for). They browned up nice and golden, crispy, sweet and delicious. Make sure that you sprinkle some salt at the end, the saltiness added a great flavor contrast with the sweetness from the corn. They were so addictive that we gobbled up two batches in one day. The final caution that I must mention was the popping of the corn kernels during frying, make sure that you wear closed-toed shoes and have a lid or a spatter guard ready to cover your frying pan. I actually wore my safety glasses when frying these :) Nerd right? But oh, they were so good. So worth it.

4 ears of corns, slice the kernels
1/4 cup of all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp corn starch
1 organic egg, beaten
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 tsp sea salt, and more for sprinkling
1/4 tsp Black pepper
1/4 cup of canola oil for frying
~10 large basil leaves, torn up

Mix all ingredients together until well combined in a bowl. Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan set on a medium to high heat. Using 1/4-cup of measuring cup, spoon the mixture into the frying pan in batches. Fry each fritter on each side for around 2 minutes or until they turn a nice dark brown, do not flip before the patty is browned or it will fall apart.

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Drain the fritters on paper towel and keep warm in the oven (on an oven safe plate) while you fry the remainder of the mixture.

Yield: 8 fritters