Corn Fritters with Pineapple Chili Sauce
Jalapeno pepper gives the pineapple-brown sugar sauce a real kick and elevates the deep-fried corn fritters beyond the ordinary. Serve these crowd pleasers on a large platter with a dish for the sauce, or serve individually for a more formal dinner.
Ingredients
- Corn Kernels - 2-1/2 pounds, whole (fresh cut or thawed frozen kernels; do not use canned)
- Eggs - 2, lightly beaten
- Green Onions - 1/4 cup, finely chopped, white part only
- Garlic - 1/2 teaspoon, finely minced
- Fresh Cilantro - 2-1/2 tablespoons, finely chopped
- Onion - 1-1/4 cups, finely chopped
- Unbleached All-purpose flour - 1-1/4 cups
- Cornmeal - 1/2 cup
- Salt - 1 tablespoon
- Sugar - 1 tablespoon
- Baking Powder - 1-1/2 tablespoons
- Ground Coriander - 1-1/2 tablespoons
- Coarsely ground black pepper - 1/2 teaspoon
- Oil - 8 cups, for deep-frying
- Pineapple-Chili Sauce - (recipe below)
- Cilantro - 2 sprigs
- Pineapple-Chili Sauce (Makes 3 cups)
- Ripe Pineapple - 1
- Brown Sugar - 1/2 cup
- Jalapeno Chili - 1-1/2 tablespoons, unseeded
- Water - 1 cup
- Fresh Cilantro - 1-1/2 tablespoons, chopped
- Freshly squeezed lime juice - 1 tablespoon
Instructions
Cook the corn in salted water to cover. When cooked, drain and cool, then puree in a blender or food processor. Beat in the eggs.
Mix the green onions, garlic, cilantro, and onion together and set aside. In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients and spices.
Beat the corn mixture and then the vegetables into the dry ingredients until a sticky dough forms.
In a deep-fryer or heavy deep-sided pot, heat the oil to 350 F. Using a rubber spatula, scoop about 1 tablespoonful of batter and push the batter off carefully into the hot fat. Fry the fritters until they are a deep golden brown, turning them to brown both sides. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in a 150 F oven while frying the remaining batter.
Place a small container of Pineapple-Chili Sauce on a single large serving plate and mound fritters on the plate. Or serve on individual plates, dividing equally among the plates. Garnish with cilantro leaves.
Pineapple-Chili Sauce
Cut the skin off the pineapple and remove the eyes with a sharp knife. Cut the pineapple into quarters and cut out the core, then roughly dice the flesh. Combine the pineapple, brown sugar, jalapeno, and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes.
Let the mixture cool, then puree it in a blender or food processor. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice. Store in a capped glass jar in the refrigerator; the relish will keep for 1 week.
