FABULOUS MEXICAN FRITTER

I do love Mexican food. That more subtle chili heat that you get compared to those blow your mouth off spicy curries you get in Indian cuisine and the use of all those fresh tomatoes, pepper etc that create in my eyes some of the best dishes in the world. However, as much as I have all this love for Mexican treats there is only so much chili con carne and tortilla based dishes a boy can take. So I've created this new Mexican inspired dish. A chili sweetcorn fritter topped with a fresh Mexican salsa topped with grated cheese. Simple, yet oh so scrummy!

Now I do love a bit of chili hence why it can be found in both the fritter and the salsa. The more hot you like it, the more chilies you can add. If your not a fan of the spice then take away the chili but make sure you replace it with some other herbs or spices otherwise you are going to end up with quite a bland dish, particularly the fritter. Smoked paprika would work really well or try using some fresh green herbs to give your meal a bit of oomph. 

The salsa uses fresh tomatoes to create a delicious topping for your fritter. It's so much tastier than using a tin of chopped tomatoes but if this is all you have at your disposal then give them a whirl and I'm sure you will get similar results. Added to my tomatoes are onions, mushrooms and peppers to add some extra flavor and texture to the salsa. Remove either of these if you wish or throw in extra veg if you wish such as chopped chunks of aubergine or courgette to suit your tastes. 

Use whatever cheese you like to grate over the top of the salsa to finish but make sure that whatever cheese you pick that you use a fine grater so that the cheese melts from the heat of the salsa when plating up. Any big gratings or chunks of cheese are more than likely just going to sit on top which is great if you like that but I think you really have to have all that melted cheese oozing over the top. If you only have a large grater you might want to think about popping your fritters under the grill for a minute or too with the cheese on top just to help it along with the melting process but this is entirely up to you.

 My recipe below will create a fab meal for two or a starter for four. Get inspired and go all Mexican on your bad self!

Mexican Sweetcorn Fritters

 

For The Fritter

280g Sweetcorn
50g Flour

3 Whole Eggs
2 Grated Garlic Cloves
2 Chopped Chilies
Salt And Pepper To Season

For The Salsa

6 Salad Tomatoes

1 Diced Onion

Handfull Chopped Mushrooms

4 Diced Small Peppers

2 Diced Chillies

1 Grated Garlic Clove

1 Tbsp Liquid Smoke (Optional)

Salt And Pepper To Season

50g Grated Parmesan

Fresh Coriander Leaves To Garnish

1. Start by making the fritter batter. Take the corn, flour, garlic and chillies and give everything a good whisk together until you have no lumps of flour in the batter. Season the batter with a good crack of salt and pepper and then leave to one side to rest whilst you prepare the salsa.
2. Next comes the salsa. In an lightly oiled pan over a medium heat. Add in the tomatoes, onion, mushrooms, peppers, chillies and garlic and heat through, stirring as you do and using your spoon to break up the tomatoes. 
3. After a few minutes the tomatoes should of broken down to asauce. Bring this to a boil and then add in the liquid smoke (if using) and season with plenty of salt and pepper. Reduce to a simmer and leave for a around 20 minutes to allow the salsa to reduce and thicken up.
4. Back to the fritters. Lightly oil a small pan and turn the heat on the pan to medium. Allow time for the pan to warm up before spooning in either half or a quarter of the fritter batter depending on how many you need. Level out the batter andthen leave on the heat for around 3 minutes until you can see the edges firm up and you can slip a spatula underneath and it comes out dry.
5. Carefully flip your fritter over and fry the other side for a further 3 minutes until you can once again slip a spatula under for it to come out clean. Remove the fritter form the pan and cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with the rest of the batter until you have all the delicious fritters you need.
6. By this time your salsa should be thick and ready. Place one fritter on a plate, spoon over some of the salsa, grate over some parmesan and garnish with some fresh coriander leaves.

Serve straight away with a shot of tequila! OK you don't have to have the tequila, the heat from the chili's in both the fritter and the salsa will be enough to give you that amazing Mexican vibe straight from your home kitchen. The texture of the fritter should be more like a fritter than those deep fried crispy sweetcorn fritters you can get and when eaten with a fork full of the salsa will melt in your mouth. It's also relatively low in calories so perfect for those still sticking to their new year diet.

Fiery and fresh - these fritters are truly fabulous!