“Mami, quieres frituritas de maiz?” Of course she said yes! I made these frituras de maiz for my mom recently and she absolutely loved them.
You see hand-held fried snacks really are a Cuban’s favorite snack. From papas rellenas to croquetas de jamon, we love making frying up goodies from scratch along with making other easy appetizer recipes.
They’re super easy to make using fresh corn and the best part is they don’t have to be perfect. These rustic Cuban-style corn fritters are little mounds of delicious corn flavor and you won’t be able to eat just one!
Let me show you how to make them.
Let’s have a frituras party! When you’re done making these corn fritters, you should make my easy 5-ingredient malanga fritters.
Making The Corn Fritters
Ok, here’s the deal. Making these corn fritters is super easy.
When you add the ingredients into a food processor, you want to make sure your batter is thick but pourable. Achieving that consistency is tricky but, as long as you don’t blend the corn too much, it should be fine.
Troubleshooting Tip: If the batter does get too liquidy or runny, the fritters won’t hold their shape. You can fix it by stirring coarse yellow cornmeal, 1/4 cup at a time, until the batter becomes thick enough for you to drop spoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil.
Make Ahead Tips
You can make the corn fritters mixture ahead of time, about 2-3 days in advance, and then save it in an airtight container until you’re ready to fry.
Storage Tips
Keep the fritters at room temperature for up to 2 hours. Store the fritters in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also transfer them to a freezer-safe bag. They can be stored for up to 2 months.
Frituras de Maiz (Cuban Sweet Corn Fritters)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole corn kernels from 2 large corn cobs
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground anise seed (grind anise seeds in a mortar and pestle)
- 1 large egg
- Pork lard or oil with a high smoke point for frying
- Coarse yellow cornmeal *optional (see note below)
Instructions
- Using a sharp knife, slice downward along the length of the cob, cutting off the kernels. Rotate the cob as you go, until all the kernels are removed.
- Add the corn kernels to a food processor or high-speed blender. Pulse until just blended. Don't overdo it. The batter should still be thick & chunky, not liquid. Transfer the blended corn to a large bowl.
- If the batter does get too liquidy or runny, the fritters won’t hold their shape. You can fix this by stirring in coarse yellow cornmeal, 1/4 cup at a time, until the batter becomes thick yet pourable.
- In the bowl with the blended corn, stir in the egg, sugar, salt, and ground anise until combined. Again, the mixture should be smooth, thick, and paste-like. Set aside.
- In a deep skillet, add enough oil to fry the fritters (about 2-3 cups). Heat the oil to 375ºF. Using a spoon, drop 6 spoonfuls (about 1 tablespoon each) into the hot oil.
- Fry for 2-4 minutes, while flipping them over, so they get golden brown on all sides. Once they are golden brown and start to float up to the top, they’re ready. Drain the fritters on a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with the rest of the mixture.
- The fritters should be dough-like, tender on the inside, and crispy on the outside. Season the fritters with a pinch of sugar. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Haydee says
As a proud Cuban-American born on the island ( my parents brought me to this great Nation when I was four years old to escape Communism) and who knows a thing about traditional Cuban cuisine, I can ensure that Jamie is on point.
I consider myself an expert cook. When I was a few years old, I would climb on a stool and observe my Maternal Grandmother cooking day in and day out. She was the matriarch and bar none the best cook in our extended family . She taught me how to make everything from scratch and I have never deviated from her teaching. I learned to cook real dry beans (not canned) and take my cooking so seriously that when I travel to Florida to visit my son, I bring back “Aji Cachucha,” freeze them when I get back to texas because I could never do her justice if they didn’t go in my black bean recipe.
As a Cuban, I look to see how modern cooks today make our traditional dishes. I look for their recipes on “Frijoles Colorados, Picadillo, Ropa Vieja, and Sweet Corn Fritters (if you’ve never tried these, please do) which are traditional staples. I look to see how far off from the traditional dish (how it was meant to be cooked) the individual derails. On all counts, everything I’ve checked shows me that Ms. Silva had a wonderful cooking teacher.
Thank you for intentionally doing our food justice. I saw a recipe the other day for Cuban Shrimp Creole with tons of cilantro and I cringed.
Blessings to all!!!
Jamie Silva says
Haydee, mil gracias for your sweet words!! This message made my day!!