Tex-Mex Corn Fritters

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been waiting patiently for fresh sweet corn.  And last weekend I couldn’t take it anymore and I broke down and bought some at the grocery store, knowing full well it’s never as good as the fresh corn at the farmers market that’s picked just an hour or two before I cook it at home.  While this wasn’t bad I’m still waiting for the good stuff 😉

That leads me to my favorite way to cook corn.  Something about boiling a large pot of water in my kitchen in the middle of summer at the hottest part of the day doesn’t appeal to me.  If I had a grill I would absolutely cook my corn on the grill because it comes out tasting amazing, but the next best option is to cook it in the oven which I find gives it a better flavor than boiling it anyways.  While it still heats the house, I find I don’t mind it as much so it works for me.

I originally found this method at Love Veggies and Yoga.  I started making my corn this way last year and now it’s my go-to way to cook corn on the cob, plus you can pack a lot of corn into one oven and only so much into a pot of water.  It’s an added bonus that it’s easier to peel after it’s been baked 🙂

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  I like to pull a few of the outer leaves and the silk at the end off, but that’s not necessary, just place the corn on a baking sheet and roast for 30-40 minutes(it will be done at 30 minutes but 40 minutes makes it nice and caramelized on the bottom, similar to when it’s grilled) and remove from the oven.

Let cool slightly and peel and serve.  Or cool till you’re able to handle them before cutting the corn off the cob for these fritters 🙂  I usually cook my corn as soon as I get it home as it’s much sweeter than if it sits for too long after it’s been harvested.  Once it’s cooked I either serve it right away or I slice it off and store it in the fridge to be used later in things like these.

[print_this]Tex-Mex Corn Fritters

Adapted from Closet Cooking

Serves two

• 2 cups fresh corn, preferably cooked and cut off the cob, but frozen corn will work once thawed
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1 handful cilantro (optional)
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped(optional)
• 1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice
• 1 tablespoons oil, for cooking

In a bowl combine the eggs, flour, cornmeal, salt, lemon or lime juice and all the spices.  Once combined stir in the corn, green onion, cilantro and jalapeno if using and cheese and stir till mixed.

In a large non-stick pan heat the tablespoon of oil over medium heat.  Once hot, drop 1/2 cup batter at a time and flatten out to 1/2-3/4″ thick and shape into a pancake shape.  Cook for at least 3-4 minutes before checking the underside.  Once it’s golden, flip the fritter over and cook the other side until golden.

Serve hot with salsa, sour cream and extra green onions.

[/print_this]