INGREDIENTS
- 7 cups corn, cut fresh from the cob
- 1 1/3 teaspoons garlic, finely minced
- 2 to 3 1/2 whole eggs, beaten
- 1 cup green onions, sliced 1/8 inch thick
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 scant teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup celery, diced 1/4 inch
PREPARATION
- Combine all of the ingredients except for the eggs until you are ready to make the fritters.
- When ready to cook, mix in the eggs. The batter should have a slightly sticky texture without being too runny. It is best to start with 2 eggs and add more if needed.
- Drop the batter by tablespoons into hot oil and cook on each side until golden brown.
NOTES
The oil used at the restaurant is peanut oil. It should be around 275–300°F. The fritter should pop back to the surface of the oil almost immediately. If it sits at the bottom of the pan or pot, the oil is not hot enough.
Take care not to let the oil get too hot. The result can be what the restaurant calls “fritter wars”, with hot kernels of corn flying out of the pan in all directions. Test the oil temperature with a very small dab of batter first. If it reacts violently, the oil is too hot.
The finished fritter should somewhat resemble lace. You should be able to see a lacy effect from the egg throughout the batter, and the fritter should be crisp. If it is too soggy, there may be too much egg and it will resemble a deep-fried omelet. Too much flour will also prevent it from crisping properly.
The freshness, water content, and sugar content of the corn affect the finished fritter, so the flour and egg amounts may need to be adjusted accordingly. Although the preparation and ingredients appear simple, this was considered one of the more difficult items at E&O to produce consistently. With practice and a careful eye, the fritters should come together nicely.