There are at least a million recipes online for these fritters, but I had never tasted one until my brother’s wife, Karen made them at a family vacation in Maine. She had extra corn on the cob and it was taking up way too much space in the refrigerator, so she whipped these up for breakfast one morning and I became an instant devotee.
Karen used a recipe from Smitten Kitchen which I compared to others online. I decided I liked Karen’s recipe best because it’s simple and it seems healthier than many of the others (less flour).
In most of the recipes, there are comments from good cooks. I thought it would be fun to list as many ideas as I could to provide you with a wide range of options. If you’re interested in pursuing any of them further, Google “corn and cheese fritters with option” and you will find a whole lot of recipes.
Corn Fritters
Ingredients:
- Corn, 6 ears, cooked or uncooked (3 cups)
- Scallions, including greens finely chopped (4)
- Herbs of your choice, fresh, chopped (1/2 cup)
- Cheddar cheese, grated, (about 1 cup or 6 ounces) (You can eliminate the cheese for folks with dairy allergies)
- Salt, kosher (3/4 teaspoon plus more to taste)
- Pepper, black, freshly ground
- Eggs large (4)
- Flour (1 cup plus 2 more tablespoons,)
- Oil for frying
Directions:
If you want to serve all your fritters hot, preheat the oven to 250F and keep the ones you have already made in there until you are finished.
1. Shuck corn and cut off the cob. (For quick video with tips – click here)
2. Add scallions, herbs, cheese, salt and pepper and stir.
3. Add the eggs and use a fork or spoon to stir until everything is evenly coated.
4. Add flour and stir to thoroughly coat.
5. Optional: Let the batter set for 15 minutes before frying. (Some recipes suggest this and others don’t.)
6. Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add your scoops of corn fritter batter and press gently to flatten them. (The smaller the scoop, the easier it will be to manage.) Use a splatter screen in case the corn pops.
7. When the underside is a deep golden brown, flip and cook to the same color on the second side.
8. Cook remaining fritters in the same manner, adding more oil as needed.
I served them with poached eggs and it was delicious!
Notes:
- You can use an air fryer.
- You can bake them – but they will not be crisp.
- You can make the batter the day before.
- When cooked, you can keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze.
- You can defrost and re-toast them in a 350F oven. Do not microwave – they will lose crispiness.
- Leftover idea: Crumble up, toast and use in salads as croutons.
Ingredient Variations:
Corn:
- Canned corn (plain or creamed) – will need more flour.
- Frozen corn will work but use a little less flour. You can blend a little of it to make corn “milk” and use that with it.
- Replace some of the corn with another vegetable like zucchini or broccoli or even carrots.
- Use two cups corn and one cup shredded red potato.
- Replace the corn with any shredded potato, but be sure to strain off the liquid when you shred the potato.
Herbs: Can be fresh or dried.
- Chives
- Cilantro
- Parsley
- Basil
- Smoked paprika
- Old Bay seasoning
- Combo of basil, rosemary, thyme, and oregano
- Red pepper flakes
- Mexican chilli powder
Scallions:
- Any kind of shredded onion
- Bell peppers
- Poblano
- Sauteed minced white onion
- Leeks
Cheese: Literally any kind will work, but some are better than others.
- Feta (use less salt)
- Parmesan
- Gruyere
- Halloumi
- Monterey jack
- Blue
- Mozzarella
- Cream cheese
- Cotija
Eggs:
- Make “flax eggs” – each one is a tablespoon of flax meal mixed with three tablespoons warm water and set for 5 minutes.
- Aquafaba in combination with chickpea flour or besan.
- Use a can of puréed white beans with a splash of the bean liquid as the “glue.” Refrigerate all the ingredients for an hour or longer before frying.
Flour:
- Low carb: 1/3 cup coconut flour and 1/2 cup cornflower with 1 cup of water
- Half flour and half fine yellow cornmeal
- Self-rising flour
- Whole wheat flour
- Gluten-free
- Japanese tempura flour (or half flour and half cornstarch)
- Chickpea flour
- Almond flour
- Corn muffin mix – 1 packet
Oil:
- Vegetable
- Canola
- Olive
- Bacon fat
- Coconut oil
- Rice bran oil
- Sunflower
Additions:
- Bacon
- Pulled pork, chopped or shredded w/barbecue sauce
- Salami, sliced
- Green jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded, and minced
- Chipotle
- Zucchini
- Shrimp, cooked and diced
- Thai curry paste
- Rancho gordo beans, premade
- Garlic
- Lime zest or lime juice
- Panko
- Half & half
- Heavy cream
- Green chilli
- Sugar
- Butter, melted
- Baking powder
- Beer
- Knorr 3 Cheese Sauce
Toppings:
Sweet:
- Applesauce
- Grape jelly
- Honey, warmed
- Maple syrup
- Balsamic glaze
- Sweet chilli sauce
Savory:
- Salsa
- Tomato jam, spiced
- Tomatoes, chopped
- Cherry tomatoes, roasted
- Ketchup
- Sour cream
- Ricotta, whipped
- Japanese mayo
- Sriracha mayo
- Okonomiyaki sauce
- Aioli
- Caramelised onions and garlic aioli
- Chili
- Eggs, poached or fried
- Peanut sauce
- Butter
- Lime wedges
Troubleshooting:
Batter doesn’t hold together:
- Add more flour and eggs
Corn is popping while frying and oil is splattering:
- Use some frozen corn (thawed and dried) with the fresh corn.
- When you cut the corn off the cob, make two runs of the knife down the corn cob. The first run you want to cut all of the kernels in half. The second run gets the second half of the kernel off. If the kernels are cut in half, they’ve already popped.
