Sweet Corn & Black Bean Fritters! When the sweet corn is at its peak, the fiesta is on with these delicious fritters. Spiced with Tex-Mex flavors and speckled with colorful peppers, they make appetizer or side dish for Cinco celebrations or summer gatherings.
Disclosure: This post was written in partnership with the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association. As always, all opinions here are my own.
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While I'm never opposed to the convenience of a canned or frozen veggie, there's just something about the crisp snap of fresh produce that makes everything you put it in taste better.
The pop of snap peas, the juiciness of just-picked berries, the crunch of sweet corn. There's a little magic in springtime soil, and we should definitely take advantage of all the work Florida farmers do to make it easy to get your hands on those treasures year-round.
Today, I'm sharing a recipe for these delicious Tex-Mex Sweet Corn & Black Bean Fritters, and a bit about my recent experience getting to tour South Florida farms with my friends at the FFVA, Fresh From Florida and the Agriculture Communicators of Florida, seeing firsthand how our fruits and veggies make it from the fields to our tables.
Looking for more delicious ways to use fresh sweet corn? Check out my recipes for my Asian-Inspired Grilled Salmon, Corn & Cucumber Salad, Baked Crab & Corn Empanadas, and Shrimp Boil Kabobs with Old Bay Aioli.
This recipe is naturally vegetarian and can be made gluten-free.
Jump to:
Florida Farms
When you think of "Florida Farms", you might envision citrus groves as far as the eye can see. While citrus is most certainly a signature crop of the Sunshine State, you might be surprised to learn that Florida produces an estimated 200-300 commodities!
From lettuce, cabbage, celery and sweet corn, to blueberries, strawberries and tropical fruit, Florida's rich soil and climate make it an ideal growing place for all kinds of produce.
What I discovered while touring various farms and packing houses, however, is that while the growing conditions may be ideal, the industry and its growers are facing many challenges. Supply chain issues, environmental obstacles, labor shortages and even a dwindling number of young growers willing to carry on the task of running generations-old farms is posing serious problems for the agricultural industry.
While each farm we visited was unique, with its own story, there were unifying themes that surfaced time and time again: A passion for farming, a love for the land, and a plea for support for farmers state and nation-wide.
I know that I've personally increased my awareness and commitment to purchase Florida-grown and U.S. grown produce since my visit, and my hope is that sharing what I've learned will encourage others to do so, as well.
You can see some farm tour highlights & takeaways in my Instagram reel and caption.
A huge thank you to the tour sponsors, as well as our hosts: Bedner’s Farms Fresh Market, Duda Farm Fresh Foods/Dandy Fresh Produce, R.C. Hatton Farms, Hundley Farms, TKM Bengard Farms, Grower’s Management, UF/IFAS EREC and Gene McAvoy.
Now, onto the good stuff... enjoying Florida's sweet corn!
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Bell pepper
- Eggs
- Ricotta cheese
- Taco seasoning
- Florida sweet corn
- Black beans. I use canned black beans.
- Cilantro. Omit if you don't care for cilantro. I love it!
- Self-rising flour. Self-rising flour is important here because it contains the leavening needed to puff up the fritters and make them less dense.
- Toppings: Queso fresco sour cream, salsa, etc.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a large baking pan with foil and set aside. While these corn & black bean fritters will be pan-fried, placing them in the oven will keep them warm while you make each batch.
Make Fritter Batter
Meanwhile, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and peppers, and cook for 5-7 minutes until softened and golden brown. Scrape into a small bowl and set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat together eggs, ricotta cheese and taco seasoning until fully combined. Stir in the onion and pepper mixture, corn, black beans and cilantro.
Fold in the flour gently until it is just incorporated; do not over-mix.
Pan Fry Fritters
Return the same skillet to the burner and add remaining olive oil; heat to medium-low.
Using a standard, spring-loaded ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into the greased skillet and carefully pat down the mounds to form a patty. Don't overcrowd the skillet -- just make 2-3 at a time.
Cook each fritter for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until they are golden brown and cooked all the way through.
As you take each one out of the skillet, place it onto the prepared baking pan and then place the pan in the oven while you make the next batch -- this will not only take out any of the wetness that may remain in the centers, but also keep them nice and toasty while you finish up. Continue until no more batter remains.
Sweet Corn and Black Bean Fritters are best served, hot topped with sour cream, queso fresco, salsa or any toppings you enjoy!
FAQ's
While these are best made and served fresh from the skillet, they can be made a day or two in advance and heated through in a 375 degree oven until warmed through.
Place cooled fritters in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. You may want to place a small piece of parchment paper between each fritter to avoid having them stick together.
I haven't personally tried freezing these, but I think they'd freeze well since they're similar to a pancake. Place the cooled fritters in one layer on a baking pan and pop them in the freezer until they're semi-frozen. Remove them from the pan and place them in an an airtight, freezer-safe container or zip-top freezer bag.
Variations & Substitutions
Give these fritter variations a try!
- Plain Corn Fritters. Omit the beans and add an extra ½ cup of sweet corn in their place. Omit the black beans and cilantro. Add ½ teaspoon sea salt in place of taco seasoning.
- Corn & Zucchini Fritters. Grate one small zucchini on a box grater. Place in a clean kitchen towel and wring out any excess liquid. Omit black beans and use desired seasoning and herbs.
- Make them spicy! Add 1 finely chopped jalapeno pepper to the fritter batter.
- Make them cheesy! Stir ½ cup shredded cheddar, pepper jack or monterey jack cheese to the batter.
- Make them smoky! Add a few pieces of crispy, chopped bacon to the batter.
Diet-Specific Substitutions
- Gluten-Free: Use 1:1 gluten free flour with the addition of ¾ teaspoon baking powder whisked in instead of regular self-rising flour.
Sweet Corn & Black Bean Fritters
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- ½ cup finely chopped bell pepper
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- 1 teaspoon taco seasoning
- 2 cups Florida sweet corn kernels
- ½ cup cooked black beans
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
- ⅓ cup self-rising flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large baking pan with foil and set aside. You won't be baking these but it will keep them warm while you make each batch.
- Meanwhile, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and peppers, and cook for 5-7 minutes until softened and golden brown. Scrape into a small bowl and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, beat together eggs, ricotta cheese and taco seasoning until fully combined. Stir in the onion and pepper mixture, corn, black beans and cilantro.
- Fold in the flour gently until it is just incorporated; do not over-mix.
- Return the same skillet to the burner and add remaining olive oil; heat to medium-low.
- Using a standard ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into the greased skillet and carefully pat down the mounds to form a patty. Don't overcrowd the skillet -- just make 2-3 at a time.
- Cook each fritter for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until they are golden brown and cooked all the way through.
- As you take each one out of the skillet, place it onto your baking pan and then place the pan in the oven while you make the next batch -- this will not only take out any of the wetness that may remain in the centers, but also keep them nice and toasty while you finish up. Continue until no more batter remains.
- Serve the fritters hot topped with sour cream, queso fresco, salsa or any toppings you enjoy.
Notes
- Plain Corn Fritters. Omit the beans and add an extra ½ cup of sweet corn in their place. Omit the black beans and cilantro. Add ½ teaspoon sea salt in place of taco seasoning.
- Corn & Zucchini Fritters. Grate one small zucchini on a box grater. Place in a clean kitchen towel and wring out any excess liquid. Omit black beans and use desired seasoning and herbs.
- Make them spicy! Add 1 finely chopped jalapeno pepper to the fritter batter.
- Make them cheesy! Stir ½ cup shredded cheddar, pepper jack or monterey jack cheese to the batter.
- Make them smoky! Add a few pieces of crispy, chopped bacon to the batter.
- Gluten-Free: Use 1:1 gluten free flour with the addition of ¾ teaspoon baking powder whisked in instead of regular self-rising flour.
[…] I tend to go the Mexican or Southwestern route when I’m using corn in a recipe, but this time I decided to mix things up with some […]