Corn Fritters

Fresh corn is one of those ingredients that announces summer the moment you bite into it—sweet, juicy, and kernels tumbling off the cob with each bite. In this recipe, those kernels are transformed into fritters that emerge golden, audibly crisp, and loaded with sweet corn flavor.

Corn fritters turn up across the world, showing up everywhere from American cookouts to cafés in New Zealand, where sweetcorn fritters are a breakfast staple. In Thailand, tod man khao pod are corn fritters spiked with herbs and curry paste, while in Indonesia, bakwan jagung are bound with a light flour batter and fried into crisp, savory snacks. But in the American South, they carry a particular weight, defined by cornmeal in the batter and a tradition of frying that links them to hush puppies and other regional staples. They often show up at potlucks and fish fries, and sometimes at barbecue joints or casual restaurants, where they're served as a side.

This corn fritter recipe comes from my colleague Craig Ruff in our Birmingham, Alabama, test kitchen. The batter starts with medium-grind cornmeal whisked together with flour, cornstarch, and baking powder for structure and crunch. Medium-grind cornmeal lends a subtle texture and fuller corn flavor than fine grind. Half of the corn is blended with onion, egg, and salt into a coarse purée, which adds body and moisture without relying on added liquid like milk or buttermilk. That purée is folded into the dry mixture along with the remaining whole kernels, which scatter throughout the batter to deliver sweet and juicy pops in every bite.

Dropped into hot oil, the batter spreads and crackles, quickly setting into a crisp shell. Frying in small batches keeps the oil temperature steady and prevents the fritters from steaming instead of crisping, so they brown evenly—deep gold on the outside, tender within. Cornstarch plays a key role: Because it doesn't form gluten the way wheat flour does, it lightens the batter and helps create a delicate, shatteringly crisp crust. As it heats, it gelatinizes, binding the batter to the corn so the fritters stay cohesive instead of falling apart. Bite in, and you get that crunch followed by a soft, corn-studded center.

Corn fritters are best eaten hot, fresh from the frying oil, when the crust is at its peak crunch. In the South, they're sometimes served with honey, maple syrup, or Steen's cane syrup, a touch that highlights the corn's natural sweetness. However you serve them, these fritters capture the flavor of peak-season corn and bring the easy abundance of summer to the table.