Corn Fritters with Salsa



For salsa:
2 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup chopped white onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeņo chiles
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

For fritters:
2 ears corn, shucked
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Accompaniment: sour cream

1. Make salsa: Stir together all salsa ingredients and season with salt. 2. Make fritters: Cut corn kernels from ears and scrape cobs to extract juice, then discard cobs. Whisk together egg and milk until smooth and stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt. Stir in corn, including juice.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then drop in 2 tablespoons batter each for 4 fritters. Fry until lightly browned, about 2 minutes per side, and drain on paper towels. Make more fritters in same manner, adding oil as necessary.
4. Serve fritters with salsa.

Yield: 2 brunch-lunch servings

Gourmet
September 2000