Corn fritters with roasted tomatoes and lime aioli

Fritters is a fast and versatile food that you can serve as an appetizer or side dish. I've made and tasted shrimp fritters, zucchini fritters, crab fritters, even alligator fritters. Today I wanted to make a fresher lighter fritter stuffed with corn, layered with roasted tomatoes, and drizzled with a tangy lime aioli. Add slices of prosciutto and fresh arugula and you have a little mini-meal!

Corn fritters with roasted tomatoes and lime aioli

Recipe from Cooking Light

Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

4 ripe tomatoes, halved (about 1 lb)

2 tsp olive oil, divided

1/2 tsp black pepper,divided

2.25 oz (about 1/2 cup) all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup fat-free milk

1 large egg, beaten

1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (3 ears)

1/3 cup finely chopped green onions

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp reduced-fat mayonnaise

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

1/2 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp cold water

4 cups loosely packed arugula

4 (1/4-ounce) slices prosciutto

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Arrange tomato halves, cut sides up, on a baking sheet. Drizzle tomatoes with 1 tsp oil; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bake at 375 degrees F for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until tomatoes are soft and have lost a lot of their moisture.
3. Weight or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. Add milk and egg; stir until smooth. Stir in remaining 1/4 tsp pepper, corn, green onions, and salt.
4. Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Drop batter by level tablespoonfuls into pan to make 6 fritters; cook 2 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges are golden. Carefully turn fritters over; cook 2 minutes or until golden. Repeat procedure with remaining 1/2 tsp oil and remaining batter.
5. Combine mayonnaise and next 3 ingredients. Place 1 fritter on each of 4 plates. Top each with 1 tomato half and 1/2 cup arugula. Repeat layers with remaining fritters, tomato halves, and arugula, ending with fritters. Top each serving with 1 prosciutto slice; drizzle with 4 tsp aioli.

Nutritional Analysis:
per serving (3 fritters, 1 tomato, 1 cup arugula, 4 tsp aioli): 284 calories, 7.8g fat (1.2g saturated, 2.3g polyunsaturated, 2.6g monounsaturated), 48.4g carbohydrates, 7.4g fiber, 12.6g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

These fritters are easy to make but takes a bit of time especially because of the tomatoes. You can make these tomatoes and even the fritters ahead of time and reheat them in the oven before serving. 

Roasting tomatoes allows the flavor to be concentrated, giving you much more of a punch than raw tomatoes. Depending on the size of your tomatoes, they may take longer than 1 hour and 30 minutes (mine took closer to 2 hours).

When making the batter, do not be alarmed if there seems to be too much corn. This recipe attempts to make these fritters lighter by using just enough flour, milk, etc to bind the corn mixture together. I was unsure of the ratio myself until I tested one out and found it to be quite delightful.

You can choose to use a griddle instead of a nonstick pan to cook the fritters. The egg really helps bind the mixture together and allows the fritters to hold its shape very well.

As for the lime aioli, you will find the consistency to be very thin. Usually all of the aiolis I make are on the heavier side, with some thickness; however, this lime aioli is more like a sauce than a dip. You may be tempted to add more mayo, but this will dull the tartness of the aioli. Instead, omit the water if you want it to be thicker. 

Wow these corn fritters are mm mm good! The fritters are very fresh and naturally sweet from the corn while the tomatoes add depth and richness to the dish and the aioli adds tartness. The arugula balances everything out with its slight bitterness and even though I omitted the prosciutto, it would contribute its saltiness quite well. Even presentation wise this dish is impressive. Serve alongside panko crusted pork (check it out for tomorrow's posting!) for a very satisfying meal.