Sweetcorn fritters recipe

I had quite an obsession with sweetcorn when I was wee. I could easily neck a whole tin of Jolly Green whilst my dad’s back was turned, and I think I held the local record for speed demolishing a corn on the cob. During my student days, Tesco Value sweetcorn was a frequent meal – maybe with some pasta if I was feeling wild/rich, and when I wasn’t as adventurous with my veggies my favourite pizza topping was just sweetcorn (which I now think is a tad weird but hey, we’e all been 16). All those experiences probably led to me subconsciously cutting back my sweetcorn intake – until I recently added it back in my shopping…

So on Sunday when I was thinking how best to procrastinate from all the life tasks I had to do and life mares I had to had, cooking brunch was obviously the top option. But making scrambled tofu and sausages is too easy/quick so I decided to mix it up with something new. Spying the sweetcorn in the cupboard, my meal’s fate was quickly decided. Fritters are rare in the UK for brunches whereas they are quite popular in the U.S. and Scandinavian countries – they know how to do brunch in both locales so quite rightly so.

I wanted to keep this recipe as simple as possible (read as quick). But also to demonstrate that you can add your own flavours, herbs and spices to jazz things up to the tune of your taste buds. Feel free to substitute the basil for any other fresh herb and you could also omit it and the paprika for a much plainer fritter. I resisted really hard to not use chilli in this recipe! I used gram flour (chickpea flour) to give it a slight flavour but you can use plain too. Corn flour is good as it helps thicken the mixture.

Sweetcorn fritters

• Servings: 4
• Time: 30 mins
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Ingredients

• 1 small can of sweetcorn, drained (160g)
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed and chopped
• 8-10 leaves of fresh basil
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 tbsp flour (I did 50:50 gram flour and corn flour but plain would work too)
• 2 tbsp of water
• 1 tbsp vegetable or rapeseed oil

Method

Drain the sweetcorn and transfer to a bowl. Add all the other ingredients, except the water and oil and mix until blended. Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing until you have a batter-like consistency. You might need more water. You can add more flour if need be.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Spoon the mixture into the pan, flattening into circles – I cook two at a time. This is where consistency is important – too runny and they will not work. You want them like drop scone/Scotch pancake consistency almost.

Wait 3-5 minutes and use a slotted slice to flip them over. Cook on other side for the same time. If they need to be more brown you can char a bit more on either side. Remove and cook the other two. Enjoy as part of a mega boss brunch or as a side to another meal!