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Roasted Corn Zucchini Fritters with Chipotle Lime Cream

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Summertime flavors shine in pan-fried Roasted Corn Zucchini Fritters with Chipotle Lime Cream! Stuffed full of late summer veggies they make a satisfying vegetarian main. They’re freezer friendly too! vegetarian + easily dairy and gluten free

Roasted Corn Zucchini Fritters with Chipotle Lime Cream | VanillaAndBean.com

More zucchini you say!? Why, yes! My Ma was here, all the way from Texas, to help me with this one. Our CSA share continues to provide copious amounts of zucchini and I couldn’t help but load up on corn at Prairie Bottom Farm, knowing my Ma would go crazy for it.

Then, my Southern Ma, who will stop at anything for fresh corn, had a brilliant idea; roasted corn zucchini fritters?! We got to work.

Roasted Corn Zucchini Fritters with Chipotle Lime Cream | VanillaAndBean.com

My Ma has been visiting for about 2 1/2 weeks and just left a few days ago. We did a lot of cooking, eating and discussing recipes. She is an excellent cook, and whatever we talk about, it usually ends up being about food.

She is a consistent source of ideas and inspiration, whether we are in my kitchen or at a restaurant, picking apart the details and talking about it is our thing.

Roasted Corn Zucchini Fritters with Chipotle Lime Cream | VanillaAndBean.com

To shred up the zucchini, I use a microplane, which makes the job fast and easy. What’s not so easy is cutting corn off the cob. It takes a bit of effort, but the flavor of fresh corn is irresistible.

I opted for masa harina in this recipe instead of the traditional corn flour typically used in fritters. Masa harina is a fine grain corn flour that is often used in making corn and flour tortillas, as well as tamales. It yields a sweet yet robust corn flavor to any food it’s added to.

Mom and I decided a poblano pepper would be best suited for a bit of heat in the fritters. We figured a jalapeño would be a bit too hot with the added chipotle cream sauce, and wanted something a bit milder. The poblano yields a nice, low-key kick with a mellow smoky flavor.

Roasted Corn Zucchini Fritters

I’m not much of a fryer… but when it comes to pan frying, I’ll do it on occasion. Of course, a fritter just wouldn’t be a fritter without a bit of pan frying!

Ma picked up a slotted spatula for me and it’s the perfect tool for pan fried Roasted Corn Zucchini Fritters. It scooped up the fritters with ease and allowed excess oil to flow through, back into the pan. This is an advantage, especially if you’d rather have the oil in the pan and not on the fritters after they’re done frying.

Roasted Corn Zucchini Fritters with Chipotle Lime Cream | VanillaAndBean.com

After pan frying, I popped these fritters in a 350F oven for 15 minutes. This helps crisp the outer edges of the fritters. Strange, I know. But it works! I used this time to whip up the chipotle cream.

Crisp, smoky, spicy, creamy and irresistibly corny (huh?)…. all at the same time.

Roasted Corn Zucchini Fritters with Chipotle Lime Cream | VanillaAndBean.com

Roasted Corn Zucchini Fritters with Chipotle Lime Cream
4.84 from 6 votes
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Roasted Corn Zucchini Fritters with Chipotle Lime Cream

Topped with chipotle lime cream, pan fried Roasted Corn Zucchini Fritters with Chipotle Lime Cream are stuffed full of late summer veggies and make a satisfying vegetarian main. They're freezer friendly too! vegetarian + optionally dairy free and gluten free *See update in notes for a major short cut to this recipe! 

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 12 -13 Fritters
Author Traci York | Vanilla And Bean

Ingredients

For the Fritters:

  • 2 Ears of Corn (about 1 1/2 C / 205g of corn niblets)
  • 1 lb (475g) Zucchini about two medium zucchini (about 3 1/2 C pre- straining / 2 C after straining)
  • 1/3 C (40g) Sweet White Onion small dice, about 1/2 small onion
  • 2/3 C (65g) Poblano Pepper small dice, about 1 small poblano
  • 1 Clove Garlic large, or 2 tsp minced
  • 1/2 C (62g) Masa Harina Flour *see note
  • 1/2 C (60g) All Purpose Flour or for gluten free, 1/2 C (95g) 1 to 1 GF All Purpose Flour - I like Bob's Red Mill
  • 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
  • 3/4 tsp Salt + more for sprinkling
  • 1 tsp Ground Pepper
  • 3/4 C (170g) Milk (nut or dairy) + 1 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar or use 3/4 C Buttermilk
  • 1 Egg
  • 2 tsp Coconut Oil + Coconut Oil for Frying about 1/2 C
  • Chives Lime Wedges and Cilantro For Garnish

For the Chipotle Cream:

  • 1/2 C (120g) Sour Cream (or sub vegan sour cream)
  • 1 Chipotle Pepper in Adobo Sauce
  • 2 tsp Adobo Sauce
  • Pinch of Sugar
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 Lime juiced

Instructions

For the Fritters:

  1. *See update in notes for a major corn short cut to the following original recipe below! 

    Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400F. Wrap the corn, husks on, in aluminum foil. Roast corn for 1 hour.

  2. Grate the zucchini on a box grater, microplaner or in a food processor fitted with the coarse shredder. Working in two batches, place the grated zucchini in a kitchen towel and squeeze, draining over the sink. Continue squeezing and pressing hard to get as much of the liquid out of the zucchini as possible. Set aside. 

  3. Dice the poblano and onion into small dice. In a saute pan, add 2 tsp coconut oil. Heat oil until it shimmers. Saute the poblano and onion on medium heat for about 8 minutes. Stir occasionally. The onions will become soft and the poblano should get a bit of charring on them. This will bring out their flavor. Meanwhile, mince the garlic and place in a large mixing bowl. Remove the onions and poblano from heat and place in the large mixing bowl with the garlic. Add the drained zucchini. Set aside.

  4. In a small bowl, mix the masa, all purpose flour, baking soda, 3/4 tsp salt and pepper. Set aside.
  5. In a measuring cup, mix the milk and 1 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar (or use buttermilk). Wait 5 minutes (this allows the milk/vinegar mixture to sour) then whisk in the egg. Set aside.

  6. When the corn is finished roasting, remove it from the foil and allow to cool. Remove the husk and cut the wide end off. Carefully, cut the kernels off the cob by placing the wide end perpendicular to the cutting board and glide the knife down the cob removing the kernels. Place the kernels in the bowl with the zucchini/pepper/onion mixture. Mix well.

  7. To the zucchini mixture, add the flour mixture, mix well. Add the milk mixture and stir so that all the ingredients are throughly incorporated. 

  8. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with SilPat or parchment. The fritters will be baked briefly after pan frying. 
  9. Add about 1/8" coconut oil to a skillet. Heat until oil shimmers on med high heat. Use a 1/3 C dry scoop to portion out each fritter and use a spoon to help you get the fritter out of the scoop and into the pan. Use the back of the dry scoop to press the fritter to about 1/4" thickness. Cook on each side for about 2-3 minutes on med to med high heat. Remove from pan and place on a paper towel to drain. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Add more oil to the pan as needed to finish frying all the fritters.
  10. Place the fried fritters on SilPat or parchment lined sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, serve with garnishes and chipotle cream.

For the Chipotle Cream:

  1. In a food processor add the sour cream, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, sugar, salt and lime juice. Process for 20 seconds, then scrape the bowl down. Process for another 20, scrape down the bowl again. Process for a final 30 seconds and it's ready to serve. Store in a lidded container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 

Recipe Notes

*Find Masa Harina in the specialty flours section. I like Bob's Red Mill. - OR - see Lisa's note below on subbing corn meal for the masa harina! 

UPDATE (Aug. 6, 2018): Major short cut alert! Instead of roasting the corn in the oven, toss it in the pan with the corn and poblano with 1 Tbs (instead of two tsp) of oil for 8 minutes on medium to medium high heat allowing the corn and poblano to char a bit. Toss the corn mixture into a work bowl with the remaining ingredients and mix well! You're now ready to scoop and pan fry. It shortens the prep/cook time by almost an hour with excellent results! 

These fritters freeze well. Store cooked fritters stacked between small sheets of parchment paper and slide into a freezer bag. Freeze for up to a month. To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator on a parchment lined sheet pan then bake for 15 minutes in a 350F oven.

Recipe adapted from Dinners Dishes and Desserts.

If you make this recipe, or any others on Vanilla And Bean, be sure to post it to Instagram, notify me @vanillaandbean and tag #vanillaandbean! I’d love to see what you’ve made!  Also, if you like my content, please consider sharing it with three friends and/or family.  Thank you!

Comments

  1. Lisa says

    August 4, 2018 at 8:11 am

    Thank goodness for Pinterest connecting me with this two year old post. I made these last night and just polished the remains for a late breakfast. Subbed cornmeal for the massa, it seems to have worked. I LOVED these little cakes! I expect to making these the entire month of August. Yum!

    Reply

    • Traci says

      August 4, 2018 at 8:48 am

      Oh my gosh, Lisa! Thank you for your note. I gotta say, this recipe ranks at the tippy top of summer favorites! So happy you enjoyed them and you’ll be whippin fritters up all summer long! Thank you for your note too on cornmeal. I assumed it would work, but don’t add untested ingredients in recipes I put on the blog – I always have masa on hand so I just use it. BUT, I’ll add a note to see your comment in the notes of the recipe! Thank you for that! August is lookin good! :D

      Reply

  5. Cooki says

    August 18, 2015 at 4:04 pm

    I haven’t made them as of yet. I’m wondering how many fritters this recipe makes at 1/3 of cup per for frying. You state 3-4 servings which is how many per person if you’re not a piggy.

    Reply

    • Traci says

      August 18, 2015 at 5:17 pm

      Hi Cookie. Thank you for writing. If I remember correctly, this recipe makes 6 or 7 fritters, which would be 2 per person with a bit of extra if 7. Thank you for pointing this out for me. I’ll correct it as soon as I make it again! :D

      Reply

      • Cooki says

        August 18, 2015 at 7:54 pm

        Thank you Traci for the rapid reply. This information really helps out. So when I have a girls night with about 8 girls I know I have to at least triple the recipe. Will be serving with other appetizers also & of course wine.

        Reply

  8. Kim says

    September 18, 2014 at 11:18 am

    These fritters are very very good!! I think the masa flour and roasting the corn are the key to your great recipe. I also added fresh thyme and sage and will add chili powder next time. Something that would be very helpful is if you could have included the measured amounts of corn and zucchini (both before and after squeezing) you used. I had more corn than I am sure you used so my adjustments to egg/flour/milk were off somewhat. I would appreciate closer proportions for future use, but none-the-less it’s a recipe I will keep! YUM!

    Reply

    • Traci says

      September 18, 2014 at 1:14 pm

      Hi Kim! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for taking time to write and letting me know your concerns. I looked back at my notes and scribbles on this recipe and noticed I recorded the measurements you indicated (with exception to after squeezing the zucchini), yet they didn’t make it to my recipe here. So I appreciate your letting me know. I have since corrected my omissions. Cooking is much more forgiving then baking, thankfully. Thank you again, Kim. I’m so glad the recipe turned out for you and I’ll keep your comments in mind moving forward!

      Reply

  10. Isadora says

    September 7, 2014 at 6:01 pm

    How fun to have your mom visiting! It looks like you guys did some awesome cooking! I’m trying to get in all the corn and zucchini I can before summer is over and these look like the best way ever to do that! I also love the chipotle lime cream, I bet it all tastes amazing together :)

    Reply

    • Traci says

      September 7, 2014 at 8:14 pm

      Hi Isadora! Ah, yes… all the corn and zucchini! I know what you mean… it’s so fun combining and recombining veggies to see what can be created, or… recreated.

      Reply

    • Traci says

      September 7, 2014 at 5:59 pm

      Hi Rachel! Ooooh… I love it when I want to make something and have everything in the pantry! I hope you enjoy the recipe and thanks for stopping by! :D

      Reply

  14. Allison says

    September 5, 2014 at 7:40 am

    Traci, these look INCREDIBLE! I’ll do pan-frying on occasion as well and it is such a fantastic treat. The colour on the outside -oh my gosh. I can almost imagine the crispy sound they’d make when you cut into them. Topping it with chipotle cream is pretty much the best thing I’ve read all week. Stellar!

    Reply

    • Traci says

      September 5, 2014 at 2:20 pm

      Oooo… crispy! Yes, and the chipotle cream really adds a good kick of spice to this. I bet cashew cream would work great here too! Thanks, Allison!

      Reply

    • Traci says

      September 5, 2014 at 2:21 pm

      Hi Arpita! No doubt zucchini is abundant right now! I can’t seem to get enough either, but Rob… I think he’s growing tired of it. :D Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply

  18. Geraldine | Green Valley Kitchen says

    September 4, 2014 at 6:30 pm

    These look wonderful. I’m not a big “fryer” either so I love the pan frying method. This is a great way to use up those summer veggies – I’ll miss corn when it’s gone! Thanks, Traci – beautiful photos as always. PS: Glad you’re having fun with your mom!

    Reply

    • Traci says

      September 4, 2014 at 3:38 pm

      Hi Clare! Oh yeah, these fritters filling meal for sure. I make this with a big salad and an avocado dressing. It’s delicious! Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply

  20. Cheryl says

    September 4, 2014 at 6:56 am

    These are BEAUTIFUL. The crisp, perfectly browned tops, the creamy, vibrant chipotle cream, the bright lime.. truly a masterpiece. Love how you paired these bright summer flavors together, and the photography is just spot on. Awesome work Traci!

    Reply

    • Lana Schara says

      September 4, 2014 at 9:34 am

      Cheryl, this Traci’s Ma, all the way from Texas. I wanted to tell you how much I enjoy you comments and how encouraging you are. In fact, every time Traci and I taste tested a recipe, no matter where we were, our exclamations were a direct quote from your comment, “Damn! STOP IT!” It was a perfect way to express our joy!!

      Reply

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