Elmwood Eats: Corn Fritters with Tomato-Basil Salad

I hope you all had a great Fourth of July! We took the long way over to Point Reyes and it was so nice to just meander along the back roads of Marin County, along Tomales Bay, and over to the coast.

Then we continued on to Lagunitas Brewery and Taproom in Petaluma for some beer and snacks. The place was packed! It has such a great atmosphere, lots of families and dogs just hanging out enjoying the weather.

Then it was back home to Berkeley, where we were able to watch a fireworks show courtesy of our neighbors from the comfort of our couch.

This week's recipe is a great summer side dish for all kinds of grilled entrees. Sadly we don't quite have the outdoor space for grilling, but last weekend we cooked ribs in the oven and it was a huge success! These sweet, crispy, slightly spicy corn fritters with tomato-basil salad were perfect alongside the ribs. I'd like to think that by being pan fried in olive oil or butter, they're a bit healthier than more traditional deep-fried fritters. Although there's no reason you couldn't deep fry them if you wanted to!

Corn Fritters with Tomato-Basil Salad (adapted from here)

Makes 4 fritters - serves 4 as a side, or 2 if you're really hungry.

1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika OR chili powder - just something for a little kick!

1/2 cup milk

1 egg, beaten

2 ears of corn, grilled (or steamed) and cut off the cob

1/2 cup green onions, sliced

For the tomato-basil salad:

About 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced down the middle

About 1 cup asparagus, grilled or steamed and cut into pieces (you could use any vegetable here - grilled onions, summer squash, eggplant would all be good)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Pinch of salt and pepper

1 cup basil, chiffonaded or chopped

First, grill or steam two ears of corn - if you're grilling, as I did, about 15-20 minutes over medium heat, flipping occasionally, should do it. Let the corn cool, then cut it off the cob.

In a medium bowl, combine cherry tomatoes, asparagus or other vegetable, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Let this salad sit while you prepare the corn fritters.

For the fritters, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika/chili powder. Then add in the milk, egg, corn, and green onions, and stir until just combined.

Heat a few tablespoons of butter or olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Drop in a few heaping spoonfuls of batter (probably two to three big spoonfuls per fritter). Cook each one just like you would a pancake - flip the fritter once the underside starts to brown, and continue frying until both sides are evenly cooked.