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Try these sweetcorn, chilli and coriander fritters, then check out our sweetcorn and ricotta fritters, leek fritters, cauliflower fritters and courgette fritters, plus discover more vegetarian fritter recipes.

Recipe writer Rosie says: "Have you ever pickled your own chillies? The act of preserving these potent little peppers through pickling or fermenting is easier than you might expect and will liven up all manner of dishes. From pastas and pizzas to roast veg salads, or the bright, moreish sweetcorn fritters (one last blast of sunshine before we surrender to the autumn) in the recipe below, it’s a game changer in flavour terms. It’s a satisfying, relatively untaxing early autumn kitchen activity to enjoy once my chilli plants have fruited around the end of September.

While pickling with a slightly sweetened vinegar brine is a delicious and uncomplicated way to preserve chillies, I favour a ferment – which transforms the fruits into something funkier and more complex, and it’s actually just as easy to do. Make sure you sterilise a jar beforehand and be patient enough to wait a few days for the friendly bacteria to do their thing and add that unmistakable tang.

As a rough guide, I weigh out twice the volume of water to the weight of chillies, then calculate how much salt I need for a 2% brine (so 6g for 300ml). I bring the water, salt and half a teaspoon of sugar to the boil with some aromatics – usually a bay leaf, a clove of garlic and a pinch of coriander seeds – and then allow it to cool before pouring over the sliced chillies in the jar, covering with muslin, and securing it with an elastic band. Then it’s a case of leaving the chillies at room temperature for three to four days, until they’re tasting sour and tangy. Now put the lid back on and keep them in the fridge where they will be good for a couple of months (not that they’ll last that long).

When you ferment them, just make sure the slices are well covered with the brine, and always wear gloves when you slice up the chillies."

Ingredients

  • 30g self-raising flour
  • 30g rice flour
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic granules
  • 1 tsp sea salt flakes
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tbsp whole milk
  • pickled chillies, roughly chopped, plus 2 tbsp of the pickle brine
  • 1 corn on the cob boiled for 3 mins, or 1 tin of sweetcorn, drained
  • 1 spring onion, finely sliced
  • handful of coriander, finely chopped
  • rapeseed oil, for frying
  • grilled bacon and hot sauce, to serve

Method

  • STEP 1

    Combine the flours, paprika, garlic granules and salt in a bowl. Crack the egg into a separate bowl and add the milk and pickle brine, whisking together with a fork. Pour this wet mixture into the flour and whisk until it forms a smooth batter.

  • STEP 2

    Cut the corn from the cob and stir in the kernels along with the chillies, spring onion and coriander. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of a non-stick frying pan and heat until sizzling hot, then spoon in dessertspoons of the batter. Fry for 20-30 seconds, then flip and press down with a spatula, flipping again after 20-30 seconds, pressing down to cook through. Remove to a plate covered with kitchen paper and season with salt.

  • STEP 3

    Serve on their own, or with grilled bacon and hot sauce, if you like.

We have loads more vegetarian fritter recipes to check out

Two plates of chickpea fritters with yogurt, green chilli and cucumber Salad
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