Chipotle Corn Prawn Fritters With Avocado Purée Recipes

CHIPOTLE, CORN & PRAWN FRITTERS WITH AVOCADO PURéE

Steps:

• Prepare the avocado just before you want to cook the cakes, as it discolours if it sits too long. Halve and stone the avocados and scoop out the flesh. Mash with all the other ingredients until smooth. Taste for seasoning (you may want to add a little more vinegar). Cover and set aside.
• For the fritters, put the cornmeal, flour, half the sweetcorn, the eggs, milk, butter and baking powder in a food processor and, using the pulse button, blitz together. Season and stir in the rest of the corn, the chipotle paste, chilli, spring onions and the prawns by hand.
• Heat some oil in a large frying pan and, once it is hot but not smoking, spoon dollops of the corn-cake batter into the pan. You are aiming to make cakes about 10cm in diameter. If you use a large pan, you should be able to cook four fritters at the same time. When each cake has set underneath and you can see bubbles on the surface, flip it over and cook until golden. Lift each cake out onto a double layer of kitchen paper. You can keep the cakes warm on a baking sheet (in a single layer) in a low oven while you cook the rest. Add more oil as you need it. Serve the cakes with the avocado purée, some soured cream and wedges of lime.

CORN CAKES WITH CRAB AND SMOKY AVOCADO YOGURT

Steps:

• For the avocado yogurt: Put the avocados, yogurt, cilantro, chipotle puree, lime juice and some salt and pepper in a blender. Blend until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours to let the flavors meld.
• For the corn cakes: Combine the milk, butter and honey in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low heat and cook until butter has melted. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the corn flour, baking powder, salt and cayenne in a large bowl.
• Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl until smooth. Add the cooled milk mixture and mix until smooth, then stir in the corn. Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture until a batter just comes together. In a clean, dry bowl, beat the 3 egg whites until stiff (they should hold their shape), then fold them completely into the corn mixture.
• Heat some butter in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat until almost smoking. Working in batches, make the cakes with 2 tablespoons of batter each, leaving a few inches of space between them as they spread quite a bit. Cook until browned on the bottom and starting to bubble around the edges, about 2 minutes. Flip the corn cakes with a spatula and cook until lightly browned on the reverse side, about 1 minute. Remove to a baking rack to drain.
• To assemble: Top each corn cake with a dollop of avocado yogurt, a few pieces of crab and some microgreens.

ALLIGATOR CLAWS (AVOCADO FRITTERS) WITH CHIPOTLE-LIME DIP

Steps:

• DIP:.
• Put the crème fraîche (or other option) into a medium-sized mixing bowl.
• Zest the lime finely and mix the zest into the crème fraîche.
• Roll the lime on your counter, placing enough pressure to soften the pulp inside without breaking the lime's skin.
• Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice from one half, reserving the other half for another use.
• While stirring, slowly add the juice to the crème fraîche until you get a consistency just the runny side of mayonnaise.
• Add a couple of pinches of ground chipotle, stir in and taste, repeating until you have both a heat and smokiness you like. If you are making this a day or two ahead of time, stop adding the chile when you are just shy of how strong you think you'd like it to be. It will get stronger overnight.
• FRITTERS:.
• Mix the flour & water in a medium-sized bowl until absolutely smooth.
• Put a heavy-weight frying pan on the stove on medium heat and put a paper towel lined plate nearby.
• Halve an avocado from top to bottom. Twist to remove section from pit, then remove the pit from the other half. Cut each half into four wedges and remove the skin.
• Add oil to the pan.
• Dip each section of avocado into the batter, leaving only a very thin layer of batter on each, and add the wedges to the pan one at a time as you batter them. By the lime the last is in, it will be time to turn the first. Cook each side until golden brown (you will need to turn them to cook on three sides - tongs or a spatula & fork work best).
• When done, place each fritter on the towel-lined plate to remove excess oil.
• Sprinkle a little salt over the fritters, plate and serve hot with dipping sauce.

SCALLOP AND SHRIMP FRITTERS WITH CHIPOTLE MAYONNAISE

Steps:

• Make chipotle mayonnaise:
• Stir together mayonnaise, chiles, adobo sauce, and lemon juice in a small bowl, then season with salt.
• Make fritters:
• Purée scallops, egg white, shallot, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Add cream and pulse until just combined. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in shrimp. Chill, covered, 10 minutes.
• Put bread crumbs in a pie plate. Drop 6 (2-tablespoon) mounds of scallop mixture onto crumbs, then gently coat with crumbs and shape mounds into 3-inch patties. Transfer as coated to a wax-paper-lined tray. Make 6 more patties in same manner with remaining scallop mixture and crumbs.
• Heat 1/4 inch oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then fry patties in 2 batches, turning once, until golden and firm to the touch, about 4 minutes total. Drain on paper towels.
• Serve fritters with chipotle mayonnaise.