What – if anything – are you having for breakfast? Currently I’m having a bacon scone with a cold brew coffee whose cup is sweating all over my desk. And while, those are lovely things for breakfast, I really wish I was having these corn fritters with avocado and salsa instead. Why? Because they’re flipping delicious and then I’d be at home relaxing in my pjs having a healthy, filling, savory breakfast. Sure, pjs don’t have to be a part of eating this meal but if I’m dreaming of a better breakfast then why shouldn’t I be in my pajamas?
I’ve gotten into corn fritters after my friend Abi made them for a girls brunch while I was in London. We had spent a night hanging out and drinking wine and then the next day we had these for breakfast and they were totally killer. Honestly, I could’ve eaten like three times as much as she made.
Sometimes big breakfast dishes are too heavy and sweet (and this from a girl who has a crazy sweet tooth), but this is not any of that. It’s very flavorful and it won’t sit like a brick in your stomach. It also has some vegetables from the salsa and healthy fats from the avocado to keep you full and feeling good. It’s also colorful and gorgeous and that doesn’t hurt. Plus it does a good job of soaking up the wine from the previous nights drinking. Wait, who said that?! I never over indulge when hanging out with my girlfriends.
I will say, this recipe isn’t exactly Abi’s recipe. When I asked her for her recipe, she did a classic thing that all home cooks do to protect their prized recipes – she deferred. She was all, “well, I’m not sure, I used more than one recipe, and combined ideas, and it is sort of based off of this one.” And she sent me a link, which is the basis for the recipe that I’m sharing with you today.
But it’s a good trick not giving up your recipe, that’s how you make sure yours is always the best. This is exactly how I feel about my mom’s apple pie. She’s given me the recipe, I’ve made it a dozen times, it always comes out delicious, but somehow hers is always extraordinarily better. The same with my dad when he makes beans. Why are his always better?! I’ll never know, it’s the cooks secret.
Anyway, all of that not-at-all-bitter ranting, is to say that my corn fritters come out more like savory corn pancakes than I remember Abi’s being. I feel like Abi’s were like fried corn dough patties, but I don’t really remember and it’s like the only time ever where I didn’t take a picture of my food. Food blogger failure!
But, my recommendation is cook this recipe as you would regular American-style pancakes. When you start to see the bubbles (see photo in the frying pan) then you’re ready to flip the pancake. You can top the corn fritters with whatever you like, but I highly recommend slices of creamy avocado and then a salsa with some kick. It’s a really good way to start your day.
Adapted from Good to Know and inspired by the wonderful Abigail Skinner.
Messy level: Really simple preparation with minimal dishes required. I used an immersion blender to mash up the corn, but you can use a fork if you want to cut down on dishes. The biggest opportunity for making a mess is when you flip the fritter. Don’t be like me, be patient, wait for the bubbles, then flip. If you’re patient you’ll get lovely circles and not messy shapes.
- 1 egg
- 1 15oz/425 gram can of sweetcorn kernels
- ¾ cup/ 100 grams flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 spring onions, finely chopped, green parts only
- 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- pinch cayenne
- ⅔ cup/ 150 ml milk
- butter or cooking spray
- 1 avocado
- salsa (homemade, or your favorite brand)
- In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg.
- Open the can of corn and drain off the liquid. Put the corn in a large bowl. Using a fork, potato masher, or immersion blender mash up the corn so about half is still whole kernels and about half is corn mush. It doesn't have to be exact, but you don't want the whole thing to be mush.
- Add the flour, baking powder, spring onions, cilantro salt, garlic, pepper, and cayenne to the corn mush. Mix it well.
- Now mix in the milk and beaten egg to the corn batter. Mix until everything is incorporated and you don't have any streaks of dry ingredients.
- If you have time, let the batter sit for 15-30 minutes just to thicken a bit. You don't have to do this step, but I like to because then when you pour the batter into the skillet it holds its shape.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. When it's warm melt a pat of butter in the pan. Use a large spoon to pour batter into 3-4 inch rounds. I like to do just 2 fritters per skillet so they cook evenly and aren't overcrowded.
- Cook on one side until you start to see lots of bubbles popping through the batter and the batter you can see looks as if it's starting to dry out. This takes about 3-4 minutes. Adjust the heat on your burner if things are moving too fast or slow.
- Flip the fritter and cook for another 3-4 minutes so the other side can brown. The fritter is done when both sides are crispy and have a golden brown color.
- When a fritter is done, put it on a plate in the microwave. Again, you don't have to do this but I like to keep it in an enclosed space to keep it warm, but I find if I put a paper towel over the plate than the fritter loses some of its crispness. Also I don't recommend stacking done fritters on top of each other. This is also because the heat and steam from other fritters will cause them to soften. It doesn't change the flavor, just the texture.
- When all the fritters are done, cut the avocado in half, peel the skin off, and slice the avocado into thin strips.
- Put fritters on a plate. Arrange 4-5 strips of avocado on top of each fritter. Spoon a dollop of salsa across the avocado. Serve. (Alternatively you can also just leave everything out buffet style and people can serve themselves).
- Enjoy!
