Corn and courgette fritters

Not being a morning person makes me by default a big brunch fan—you still get to enjoy a great Kiwi breakfast, just a little later in the day.  And I think just about every Kiwi out there has their own corn fritter recipe, whether it uses fresh corn or canned, cream-style or whole kernels, it seems like one of those recipes we are armed with as an essential part of our antipodean upbringing. This is my take, a recipe that has evolved over my 26 years, tweaked and fine-tuned over many a weekend brunch with friends and family.  The addition of grated courgette keeps the fritters nice and light, along with using a relatively small amount of flour.

Last weekend we had these with a side of bacon, grilled eggplant steaks and a little avocado salsa, but they are great with any number of sides:  smoked salmon, grilled tomatoes, fried red onions, grilled red peppers, salad greens, sausages, chutney, sweet chilli sauce, sour cream, topped with a poached egg, the list goes on…

Ingredients

Makes around 12 palm-sized fritters

• Corn and courgette fritters
• 410g can cream-style corn
• 1 large or 2 small courgettes, grated (~1 cup)
• 2 stalks spring onion, finely diced
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp mild curry powder (optional)
• 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup fresh coriander, chopped
• 1/2 cup self-raising flour
• Oil and a little butter* for frying – the butter is the secret to getting a nice crispy edge on the fritters, but you don’t need to fry them exclusively in butter. I used a little canola oil and about half a teaspoon of butter for each batch. Another delicious thing to do is fry up your bacon first, and then cook the fritters in the bacon dripping.

• Avocado salsa
• 1/2 - 1/4 of a red onion, depending on your taste
• Juice of one lime
• Juice of half a lemon
• One ripe avocado
• Handful of sweet cherry tomatoes
• 1 minced red chilli (optional)
• 1/4 cup fresh coriander, chopped
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

• Corn and courgette fritters
• 1. In a large mixing bowl combine the corn and grated courgettes.
• 2. Add spring onion, ground coriander, curry powder, sweet chilli sauce, eggs and coriander, and mix well.
• 3. Finally add the flour and mix until just combined.
• 4. Heat a little butter and oil in a frying pan.
• 5. Turn your oven on low and warm your plates while you cook the fritters, this way you can keep cooked fritters warm while you cook more.
• 6. When your pan starts to sizzle, add spoonfuls of mixture and cook the fritters in batches (3-4 at a time depending on the size of your pan).
• 7. Cook on a medium-high heat for a few minutes, until little bubbles appear on the top surface of the fritter.
• 8. Turn the fritters and cook until golden. Place on paper towel to drain.
• *For dairy-free omit the butter and fry in olive or canola oil

• Avocado salsa
• 1. Finely dice the onion and place in a medium sized mixing bowl.
• 2. Pour the lemon and lime juice over the onion while you prepare the other ingredients – I find this takes some of the sting out of the onion.
• 3. Chop the avocado into 1-2cm cubes, and quarter the cherry tomatoes.
• 4. Add all the remaining ingredients to the onion and mix until well combined. Season to taste. Reserve while you cook the fritters.