Corn Fritters with Garden Black Bean Salsa

Corn Fritters with Garden Black Bean Salsa is a deliciously healthy summer appetizer!

Hey friends, can you believe it’s only 10 days until the 4th of July??

Do you have anything special planned? Are you having company for the weekend? A BBQ maybe with family and friends? Are you going to watch the fireworks somewhere special? At the beach we’ve got it goin’ on for the 4th! We’ve got BBQ’s, concerts, lots of family activities, the big boat parade and to top it all off an unbelievable fireworks extravaganza!! I can’t wait!

Planning the fix-ins for the 4th is always lots of fun for me. I go into menu-planning mode weeks ahead of time so everything is just right. We have my good friend Annie from college and her family stay with us, so I have lots of help. My friend Annie’s daughter, Maddie, who has been cooking since she was probably 8 or 9  is a wiz in the kitchen, so there are good things being served all weekend long. Maddie is especially good at desserts, so to balance out the menu I like to include some healthy options.

This year I am going to serve these fresh and delicious Corn Fritters with Garden Black Bean Salsa. I usually serve corn on the cob for the 4th but I wanted to change it up a bit and try something a little different. These corn fritters cook up in minutes and they go perfectly with the salsa. They can be served as a side with your main meal or as a little appetizer. This salsa recipe is one of my favorites not only because it’s loaded with flavor and delicious but because it’s really gorgeous! There are so many beautiful colors. I could just eat it by the spoonful! It’s packed with lots of healthy, good for you veggies like tomatoes, red, yellow and orange peppers, jalapenos, red onion and black beans. You just chop up all your veggies add a little olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cilantro if you are a fan , omit it is you aren’t, salt and pepper to taste, then top the fritters with it or just grab a spoon and dig in!

Corn Fritters with Garden Black Bean Salsa

Author: Mary Ann Dwyer

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Ingredients  

• Corn Fritters:
• 3-4 ears of fresh corn plus corn milk (2 cups corn kernels)
• 4 green onions chopped
• 1 large egg lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• pinch of cayenne
• vegetable oil for frying
• Salsa:
• 4 medium roma tomatoes seeded and diced
• 1/2 cup red onion chopped
• 1 large red pepper chopped
• 1 large yellow pepper chopped
• 1 large orange pepper chopped
• 1 15 ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
• 2 small jalapenos with ribs and seeds if you like it hot, without if you like it mild
• 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves chopped
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 2 cloves garlic finely minced
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Instructions 

• Cut the kernels from the ears of corn with a pairing knife and place in a large bowl. Using the back of a table knife scrape the milk from the cobs into the bowl. Add the green onions, egg and milk.
• In a large bowl whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, salt, pepper and cayenne. Add this mixture to the corn mixture and stir until the batter is evenly moistened.
• Heat some oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Scoop a little less than a 1/4 cup batter into the skillet. I fit about 4 scoops in my skillet. Cook for about 2 minutes on one side, then flip and continue to cook for an additional 2 minutes until lightly browned and crispy. Repeat until all batter is finished. Place fritters in a baking dish to keep warm.
• Salsa: Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper until combined. Add this mixture to the bowl of vegetables. Toss until combined. Serve immediately. Can be stored in refrigerator for 2 days covered.

Course: 30 minutes