Got Leftover Corn on the Cob? Time to Make These Buttery, Crispy Corn Fritters!
You can make these corn fritters with fresh corn or with frozen corn, but they always seem to come to mind when we’re staring at a bowl of leftover corn on the cob wondering what to do with that summer bounty. If you’re craving them outside of corn season, though, frozen corn works great! Corn fritters are kind of like little fried corn cakes—we don’t deep fry ours, though many people do—and they’re a tasty appetizer or even side dish. We like to eat them as soon as possible after frying, but we promise they’re delicious at room temperature, too. Serve corn fritters with anything that you like to eat with corn, or corn bread or just eat them all on their own as a super buttery, crispy snack.
What Is the Difference Between Corn Fritters and Hush Puppies?
Corn fritters and hush puppies are almost interchangeable terms, almost. Hush puppies—an iconic food of the south—are usually deep fried and are made (usually) with more cornmeal than flour. Meanwhile, corn fritter recipes typically have you cook the fritters by pan frying them and the corn fritter batter is usually made with more flour than cornmeal. Lastly, the shape differs a bit. Hush puppies are usually crispy little corn balls whereas corn fritters are more like pan-fried corn cakes. Otherwise? Hush puppies and corn fritters are really closely related, and you wouldn’t be the first person to call your corn fritters hush puppies.
Everything You’ll Need to Make These Easy Corn Fritters
Just as you would for pancakes or corn cakes, you’ll mix up a simple corn fritter batter by mixing dry ingredients, then wet, then combining the two to make a corn-studded batter that’s ready to hit the pan. You’ll drop dollops of batter in to a pan and fry them in a combination of vegetable oil (whatever neutral-tasting oil you have on hand is fine) and butter (for flavor, of course!) in a nice hot skillet. Here’s everything you’ll need to make this ultra-yummy, super easy corn fritter recipe:
All-purpose flour
Cornmeal
Sugar
Baking powder
Cayenne pepper
Garlic powder
Corn (fresh or frozen)
Scallions
Whole milk
Eggs
How Do You Make Corn Fritters From Scratch?
Corn fritters are the kind of thing that people presumably created to use up leftover corn on the cob, and like most “use up the waste” kind of dishes, they’re super super easy. Corn fritters are all about the sweet taste of fresh corn kernels, emphasized by the addition of cornmeal in the otherwise-basic corn fritter batter. Milk and eggs make them rich and fluffy, while a bit of sugar, cayenne and garlic powder keep things interesting. Here’s how easy it is to make corn fritters:
Dry ingredients! Whisk or sift together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, cayenne and garlic powder. Stir in the corn and scallions.
Wet ingredients! Whisk in the milk and eggs.
Fry the corn fritters! Using about 1/4 cup of batter per fritter, fry them in a combination of oil and butter for about 2 minutes per side, or until they’re crispy and golden-brown on the outside and fully cooked on the inside.
Eat up!
What to Serve With Corn Fritters
Corn fritters are a classic side dish for seafood of all kinds, but really they go with most anything! You’ll be shocked to learn that sweet-savory batter fried in butter makes for a please-everyone side dish, but seriously, they’re so hearty that it’s nice to consider pairing them with meals that are otherwise pretty light. We think corn fritters go well with:
Tools You’ll Need
More Corn Recipes to Try
The Good Kind of Corny
This corn-filled corn fritter recipe is definitely the good kind of corny! We hope you love it, and when you try it we really do want to hear about how it goes for you! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!
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