Crunching through a buttery corn cob might be the best way to enjoy this summer staple, but these crispy, lacy fritters are a close second. For the corniest corn fritter recipe, perfect as a side dish or appetizer, we’ve made some unusual moves. Where most fritters use some form of dairy (like milk or buttermilk) as the liquid component, grating an ear of corn provides enough moisture to bind the fritters without the distraction of dairy. The result is a supercharged corn fritter. A bit of cornmeal in addition to the all-purpose flour is an homage to hushpuppies and another boost of sweet corn flavor throughout. This is a recipe designed for fresh corn, cut off the cobs. Frozen corn or canned corn won’t perform as well.
To mix it up, you can use chopped cilantro in place of the scallions. Serrano chiles offer reliable heat, but if you prefer it milder, use finely chopped jalapeños instead, or skip the chiles altogether and season the batter with up to ½ tsp. black pepper, sweet or hot paprika, garlic powder, or cayenne pepper. The hot honey (with or without a dollop of sour cream) is a magical pairing. It’s incredibly easy to make and not worth missing out on. If you want, use maple syrup instead of honey to shake things up.
A PSA: The corn kernels can and will pop as the fritters cook in the hot oil. In a manner similar to popcorn, the starchy insides slowly expand inside the thin shell, and given enough time, burst through the skin, shooting kernels an impressive distance across the room. This is largely unavoidable, but cooking the patties over a heat no higher than medium, pan-frying instead of deep-frying, and removing from the oil as soon as they’re golden brown (rather than deep brown) will greatly reduce the popping. If you have a splatter screen, now is the time to use it. Forewarned is forearmed, so go forth and fry those fritters.
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What you’ll need
Box Grater
$12 At Amazon
Large (#16) Cookie Scoop
$17 At Amazon
Wire Cooling Rack
$18 At Amazon
Rimmed Baking Sheet
$32 At Amazon
Splatter Screen
$18 At Williams Sonoma
Recipe information
Total Time
40 minutes
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
¼
2
3
2
2
½–1
3
½
¼
2½
2
1
⅓
Preparation
Step 1
Stir together ¼ cup honey and 2 Tbsp. hot sauce in a small bowl; set hot honey aside.
Step 2
Grate kernels from 1 ear of corn, husked, on the large holes of a box grater into a large bowl. Cut kernels off remaining 2 ears of corn, husked, and add to bowl with grated corn. Add 2 large eggs, 2 scallions, thinly sliced, ½–1 serrano chile, finely chopped, depending on the spiciness of your chile and your heat preference, 3 oz. sharp cheddar, coarsely grated (about ¾ cup), ½ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup fine-grind cornmeal, 2½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 2 tsp. sugar, and 1 tsp. baking powder to corn and mix until well combined.
Step 3
Heat ⅓ cup vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium. Working in batches of 3 or 4 fritters and adding more oil between batches if needed, drop corn mixture into skillet with a #16 cookie scoop or ¼ cup measuring cup; flatten slightly and cook until golden and crisp around the edges, 10–16 minutes per side. (Remove any floating corn kernels from oil with a slotted spoon or they may pop.) Transfer fritters to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet; season lightly with salt.
Step 4
Arrange fritters on a platter and serve with hot honey alongside for dipping.
Do Ahead: Fritters can be made 30 minutes ahead. Serve room temperature or keep warm in 300° oven.