The home cook is an instructor with the League of Kitchens cooking school in New York City.
Eaten with your hands, these fresh corn fritters with garlic, shallot, and scallion are really fun for dinner, and you can make them with or without shrimp—each way is equally delicious. You leave half of the corn kernels whole and grate the other half, which gives you both texture from the corn kernels and extra sweetness from the juice.
If you can only find large or extra-large shrimp, it’s better to cut them in half lengthwise first—like butterflied shrimp, but cut through all the way. Shandra also sometimes keeps the shrimp out of the batter and then gently presses one or two shrimp on top of each fritter as she adds them to the pan, so they look even prettier.
No matter which you choose, the lime leaves from the jeruk purut, a variety of lime tree that grows in Indonesia, are crucial. Shandra grows her own, but I order them dried off the internet and then rehydrate them for about 10 minutes before I add them to the batter—they work great. Shandra says you can make this dish without lime leaves and it’s still wonderful, which is true, but that little punch of flavor and aroma is what really makes these so special.
Makes about 12 to 14 3-inch fritters
- 2 large or 3 medium fresh or dried jeruk purut lime leaves
- 3/4 ounce garlic (about 6 medium cloves)
- 1/8 pound shallot (about 1 medium)
- 1 ounce scallion (about 1 small)
- 1 fresh medium-spicy red chile, such as Korean (sometimes called fresh cayenne), red serrano, or Fresno (about 1/2 ounce), optional
- 3/4 pound shucked corn on the cob (from about 2 large ears)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons rice flour (or use all-purpose flour)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon finely ground white pepper
- 1/2 pound peeled medium (26–30 count) shrimp, cleaned and deveined with tails removed
- 1 to 2 cups neutral oil or coconut oil, for frying
- Whole red and/or green bird’s-eye chiles, optional
Prepare the aromatics: If using dried jeruk purut lime leaves, put the 2 large or 3 medium lime leaves in a bowl of tap water to rehydrate and set them aside.
Peel the 3/4 ounce garlic (about 6 medium cloves) and the 1/8 pound shallot (about 1 medium). Slice them both as thinly as you can, then finely mince them together on a cutting board. You should have about 1/2 cup. Put the mixture in a small mixing bowl.
Trim the ends of the 1 ounce scallion (about 1 small) and then slice it into pieces about 1/3 inch wide. You should end up with about 1/3 cup of scallions. Add them to the mixing bowl.
Slice the 2 large or 3 small fresh or rehydrated dried lime leaves into fine slivers about the width of the tines of a fork (or cut them with kitchen scissors) and add them to the mixing bowl.
Cut the 1 fresh medium-spicy red chile (about 1/2 ounce) in half lengthwise, if using, then remove the stem end and the seeds. Slice the chile crosswise as thinly as you can. You should end up with about a tablespoon of slivered chiles. (If you want just a little flavor and color from the chiles but not much heat, use half.) Set the chiles aside.
Prepare the corn: Use a large, sharp knife to shave the kernels off 1 shucked corn on the cob. Hold it in your hand in a large mixing bowl and use the knife to cut along the side so the kernels go into the bowl. Then grate the other ear into the same bowl using the large holes on a box grater. (If you have a protective glove, it’s good to wear it.) Grate the cob both lengthwise and crosswise, to get every bit of the sweet juice. You can also grate the cob you shaved with the knife, too. You should have about 1 1/2 cups of corn.
Make the batter: Break the 2 eggs into the bowl with the corn and stir them into the corn. Then, add the 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 3 tablespoons rice flour (or more all-purpose flour), 1 1/4 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 1 teaspoon white sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon finely ground white pepper. Use a large spoon or spatula to mix everything together well.
Add the garlic, shallot, scallion, lime leaf, and red chile mixture to the bowl, again stirring until everything is mixed together. Gently stir the 1/2 pound peeled shrimp into the batter, if using. Set the batter aside just while you prepare to fry the fritters.
Fry the fritters: Prepare a plate lined with paper towels. To fry the fritters, add 1 cup neutral oil or coconut oil to a 10- to 12-inch skillet, preferably nonstick. Turn the heat to high and let the oil heat until it begins to really bubble, then lower the heat to medium.
Test one fritter by adding a scant 1/4 cup of batter to the pan. The fritters should end up about 3 inches wide, and ideally each should have at least one shrimp. Adjust the heat up or down so you see small bubbles around the edges of the fritter but the edges don’t burn. When the oil is at the right temperature, fry 2 to 4 of the fritters at a time, using a scant 1/4 cup of batter for each one, adjusting the heat and removing any stray bits as necessary. (The fewer you cook at a time, the easier it is to move them around and flip them.) Add more oil to the pan, as needed.
When the fritters are golden brown on the edges and bottom (usually after about 1 1/2 minutes), use two spatulas to flip them over and let them cook for another minute or two, until the other side is golden brown. As the fritters are done, remove them from the pan with two spatulas, shaking off any excess oil, and put them on the plate lined with paper towels.
If your batter gets too watery (the vegetables will often release water as they sit), the fritters will cook more slowly, soak up more oil, and won’t be as light and fluffy. Try mixing in a tablespoon or two of all-purpose flour.
Serve and eat the fritters: You can serve these fritters hot off the skillet, warm, or at room temperature—but always eat them with your hands. Serve them with plenty of whole red and/or green chiles if you’d like.
