Drive around the highways and by-ways this time of year around any part of Ireland and you’ll spy fields bursting with sweetcorn ripening.  No truer herald for the end of summer and the start of autumn is there than the start of sweetcorn season.  

Bright yellow jewels of sunshine do well to raise the spirit on drab grey autumn days, and it’s great to see supermarkets as well as farmers markets selling sweetcorn still encased in their green leaves rather than only experiencing them pre-cooked and vacuum packed or tinned on the shelves.  Reduce any waste by keeping the leaves and store in the fridge in an air tight container to save and when ready have a go at making some Mexican Tamales!

Sweetcorn is so versatile and adds interest to all kinds of dishes.  Pair sweetcorn with seasonal local lobster and cook up a sweet and creamy chowder; mix it up with black beans and green bell pepper, cumin and coriander for a refreshing bean salad or create a salsa with vine ripened tomatoes, spring onion and paprika and serve it up with some chicken parma (check out my slimline and tasty version here).  Or make a cheap, tasty and very filling meal by whipping up a quick batch of these sweetcorn fritters!  Pair it with lime and chilli marinaded skewered prawns and a seasonal salad tossed in a simple vinaigrette.

This recipe makes about 8 fritters (more or less depending on the size), but the good news is that if you can’t eat them all up when you’ve cooked them they heat up well in a microwave the following day making a quick and easy lunch time snack.  Adding a little bit of bicarb soda helps the fritters to puff up and rise a little bit.

Ingredients (makes 8-10 fritters):

• 2 fresh sweetcorn on the cob
• 1/2 cup of plain white flour
• 1 tsp of bicarb soda
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika or ground chiptole
• handful of fresh finely chopped parsley
• 4 spring onions very finely sliced
• sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• vegetable oil for frying

Method:

• In a saucepan of salted boiling water, place the prepared sweetcorn still on the cob and cook on a rolling boil for 10 minutes until cooked through and the sweetcorn has turned bright yellow.
• Drain, leave for 5 mins to cool slightly and then using a sharp knife, stand the sweetcorn on its end and carefully run your knife down the cob cutting away all the sweetcorn pieces.
• In a dry bowl, add together the flour, bicarb, salt, pepper and paprika and mix together with a spatula.
• Then add in the two whisked eggs, parsley and spring onions and mix together well so that everything is combined.
• In a large frying pan, gently heat some oil over a low to medium heat (start with about 1 tblsp, you can add more if you need to).  If the heat in the pan is too hot your fritters will burn on the outside and not cook properly on the inside.
• Using a standard dessert spoon, place a spoonful of the fritter mix in the frying pan.  Do this 4 times so you have 4 fritters cooking in the pan.  Don’t overload the pan otherwise the fritters may blend into one another.
• Leave to cook for a couple of minutes, then turn using a fish slice and cook again for another couple of minutes.  You’ll notice that the fritters will start to puff up a little bit.
• Turn another couple of times to ensure the fritters do not burn but cook through thoroughly.  Approximately 7-10 minutes per fritter should be enough to cook through.
• Turn the fritters out onto some kitchen paper to soak up any excess oil and repeat the process with the rest of the batter mix.
• Serve up with lime and chilli prawns and a lovely seasonal salad and…Enjoy!