Move over Chips ‘n Salsa, there’s a new cowgirl in town!! 😉 Tired of the same old-same old, too? I know I was!! As I was planning our taco supper, I was staring, half-dazed from sheer boredom, at a lifeless old can of corn. Corn….again? Meh. Not tonight! 😉 Tonight I was going to come up with something fun and different if it killed me! 😉

Though my hubby could just load up on tacos all by themselves for supper if I’d let him, I insist on having at least some kind of extra veggie on the side. Usually just buttered corn, but a wee bit of shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes on top of a taco does not a side serving of veggies make. Something has to balance out the naughty stuff and fill you up, too, so that you don’t overeat the tacos!

This was not the healthiest choice. Not by a long shot so don’t shoot me! But it was FUN, we enjoyed it immensely, and I don’t feel a bit guilty! We’ve been eating a LOT of veggies lately from our gardens, so a wee little bit of naughty wasn’t going to kill us! 😉 Besides, chips and salsa aren’t the healthiest, either, and they are so “old sombrero”! 😉 (Sorry! I couldn’t resist!!) 😀

This was a total BLAST. Easy to make, a great way to stretch out a can of corn, and holy guacamole were they ever DELICIOUS!! I could EASILY see these being a new big hit at bars and restaurants being served as a new appetizer or a side dish. They sure rocked the heck out of the expected usual, that’s for sure! My hubby and I both really loved these!

Anyways, I see foodie bloggers posting their sweet apple fritters all the time. And don’t get me wrong, apple fritters are wonderful, but nothing new. I brain-stormed that can of corn and thought, hey, why not make a savory fritter with the corn and do it up Mexican-Style to go with our supper as an appy/side dish?! I added my usual taco seasonings, plus peppers from the garden and a little onion and just hoped for the best. At worst I figured, oh heck, it’s just a can of corn, and dab of other veggies, and some flour and seasoning mostly. If it didn’t work, it wouldn’t be some huge loss and my hubby would get his way and just have a plateful of tacos! 😉 😀  

Lucky for both of us, these babies turned out spectacular! I’m a “dipper”, so I tossed together a quick sour cream sauce to go along with and “Taco Night” just got a WHOLE lot more fun! 😀

Everything went together so well and it was such a nice change from chips and salsa, plain old corn, or bland brown bean dip…ugh. This just ROCKED.  

So kick up the fun and raise the bar for your next Mexican Night and try these as a side dish instead of your usual stand-by! You will be so glad that you did!!  They’re VERY inexpensive and so, so easy to make it’s silly. 

The new perfect side to go with any Mexican dish! Pretty darned good all by themselves, too! 😉 Just have fun all, and I’ll see you soon! 😀 Hope you enjoy and have a most wonderful day!! 😀  

Yield: 4

Mexican Hot Pepper-Corn Fritters with Key Lime Ranch Sour Cream

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Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 7 minutes

Total Time 22 minutes

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. sweet smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne
• 1/8 tsp. sugar

Wet Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp. oil

Rest of Fritter Ingredients:

• 3 hot banana peppers or peppers of choice, cut lengthwise into 4ths and sliced (about 3-4 Tbl.)
• 2 Tbl. finely chopped onion
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can corn, well-drained

Key Lime-Ranch Sour Cream Dip:

• 1/2 cup sour cream, creme fraiche, or Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp. Key Lime juice, bottled is fine (I use Nellie and Joe's)
• 1 tsp. dry Ranch Dip Seasoning Mix

Instructions

In large bowl, whisk dry ingredients well until very well mixed.

Stir in wet ingredients until smooth.

Fold in peppers, onions and corn.

Fill large deep frying pan with vegetable oil to about 1 1/4" deep. (Depending on pan.) Heat over medium to medium/high heat until hot.

Test a little batter by dropping in a small amount. If batter rises to top instantly and is frying nicely, your oil should be plenty hot. Turn down if batter browns too quickly.(*You can even do one to test.)

Fry batter in batches by 1 tablespoonfuls keeping space in-between them so that they don't collide and stick together. Fry for 7 minutes until deep golden brown turning once or twice. Remove to paper towel-lined rack placed over a baking sheet. Repeat until all are cooked. (I got 26.)

While you have a batch frying, in small bowl, stir together dip ingredients, cover and refrigerate.

Serve hot fritters with dip.

These go extremely well with tacos, burritos and enchiladas!

Notes

To reheat: Place on a foil or parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake in 350 degree even for 7-9 minutes.