Too Corny For a Food Pun, Corn Fritters

Corn Fritters

Ingredients:

- 3-4 Medium Sized Ears of Fresh Corn

- 1/2 Small Red Onion - Diced

- 1/4 Poblano - Diced (Leave the Seeds in if You Like it Spicier)

- 1 Tablespoon of Chopped Cilantro

- 1-2 Tablespoons of Chopped Chives or Green Onions

- 1 Cup of Flour

- 1 1/2 Teaspoons of Baking Powder

- 1/3 Cup of Seltzer Water

- Salt and Pepper

- 1/2 Teaspoon Chile Powder

- 1/2 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika

- Vegetable or Safflower Oil of Cooking

Directions:

1. Carefully, remove the corn from the cobs. I usually make a GIANT mess during this stage. No matter how much I try or what method I use, getting the corn off of the cob for me generally means getting half of the corn all over the counter.

2. Once all the corn has been de-cobbed. Add your onions, chives, cilantro, jalapeños, and seasonings into your bowl.

3. Add your flour and baking powder and toss together to coat. Everything should get an even layer of flour and should look like little flour covered pebbles. A lot of the flour will be stuck to the kernels but there will be some flour left in the bottom of the bowl. This is okay!

4. Slowly mix in your water. This part can get sticky. Very sticky. I usually keep a pile of flour on the counter next to my bowl so that when my fingers get too stuck in the mix I can pick up a little extra flour to help dry things out a bit.

5. Now you should have a large ball of dough that is slightly sticky on the outside but overall holding its own shape and not sticking too much to the surface of your bowl.

6. Start to form your dough into small patty shapes like you would if making a hamburger. I've made these about 1-2 inches across when feeding a crowd but we've also made them into hamburger sized patties and put them on a bacon cheeseburger before. The size of patty you make should reflect how many people you are trying to feed with one batch. I usually have to use some extra flour at this stage to keep things from getting too sticky but be careful as too much flour will dry the dough out and it won't stick together and form patties anymore. I prefer to make all my patties first and set them out on a sheet of parchment paper before I begin the frying process. This way I don't have to keep stopping and forming patties while I have hot oil on the stove.

7. With your patties prepped and ready, heat you oil over medium heat. You only need about 1/2 to 1 inch of oil in a skillet to fry your fritter. Once your oil is hot, drop in 5-6 patties at a time. I try to make sure there is enough oil in the pan to come about half way up the side of the fritter at all times. Let them cook for 5-6 minutes per side or until deep golden brown and crunchy. Carefully flip them over with a spatula and continue cooking an additional 5-6 minutes.

***Be careful if the temperature gets too hot the corn kernels will "pop" and shoot out a rocket of hot oil that if contacts skin can cause serious burns.

8. When the patties are golden brown and cooked thoroughly on both sides, remove from the heat and let drain on a cooling rack or a paper towel.

9. While cooling, you can sprinkle your corn fritters with course sea salt (or my favorite, flake salt) or drizzle with honey.

10. Serve while warm with dipping sauces like barbecue sauce, lime-cilantro crema, or spicy honey.