Sweetcorn, pickled chilli and coriander fritters

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."