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Jalapeno corn cakes

These spicy fresh corn cakes combine for a summer meal. Have them on the side for dinner or as the main course for lunch.

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Marry Warrington/The Kitchen Paper
Top these jalapeño corn cakes with sour cream and a sprinkle of cheddar cheese.

You must make these healthy and delicious jalapeño corn fritters! I threw some cheddar in for good measure, but you could omit it completely and these would still be incredible.

I really cannot stop with the jalapeños. I put them in everything. I make nachos way too often, recently made the spiciest salsa I’ve ever made before, and find myself circling back to the produce section at the grocery store to put another three (or 10) jalapeños in my cart. Why don’t they sell jalapeños at Costco? That’d make my life a lot easier.

Besides jalapeño, the next thing screaming "summer" at me is corn. So, with those two loves in mind, I whipped up these corn cakes for lunch one day last week. Great idea! I based them (very loosely) off of my spicy zucchini fritters, which I cannot wait to make more of this summer.

Jalapeño corn cakes

2 cups cooked corn, fresh or frozen
1 jalapeño, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon salt, plus extra to taste
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup cornmeal (or whole wheat flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Olive oil, for frying
For garnish: sour cream, lime, avocado, and tomato

1. In a food processor, combine 1-1/4 cups corn, the jalapeño, onion, cilantro, and garlic. Pulse until very finely diced, but not completely smooth.

2. In a large bowl, combine the processed mixture with the remaining corn, all spices, cheese, cornmeal, baking powder, and eggs. Mix until fully incorporated. Add more cornmeal (or flour) as needed.

3. In a heavy skillet over medium heat, heat 2-3 Tbsp olive oil. When the oil is hot and glossy, form the batter into patties (it should be slightly sticky, but not enough to make this step impossible), and cook in batches.

4. Cook each patty until golden brown on each side, 2-3 minutes per side. Serve with sliced avocado, tomatoes, sour cream, and a squeeze of lime.

Related post on The Kitchen Paper: Spicy zucchini fritters

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