Crispy Sweetcorn Fritters with Yoghurt Dip

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 120g plain flour
• 6 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 80ml whole milk
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil, for frying
• 2 x 198g tins sweetcorn, drained
• 100g mature Cheddar, grated
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp runny honey
• 200g Greek yogurt
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• 15g fresh coriander, finely chopped
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 4 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• Crusty sourdough bread, to serve
• Dressed green salad, to serve

Method

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, smoked paprika and a generous pinch of salt in a bowl. Toast the paprika lightly in your nose as you mix — that smoky bloom in a hot pan comes later when the fritter hits the oil; raw paprika tastes dusty, so don't skimp on the heat at the frying stage.
2. Whisk in the eggs and milk until you have a thick, smooth batter with no dry pockets at the bottom of the bowl.
3. Fold through the drained sweetcorn, most of the spring onions (reserve a good handful for serving) and the grated Cheddar. The batter should hold its shape on a spoon — spoonable, not runny. If it looks stiff, add a splash more milk. Season with black pepper and another pinch of salt.
4. Make the dip: stir the Greek yoghurt with the lime zest, a good squeeze of lime juice, the chopped coriander and the honey. Taste — it should be sharp and herby against the sweet corn. Adjust salt now, not at the table.
5. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat — you want it shimmering before the batter goes in, otherwise the fritters drink oil instead of crisping.
6. Drop heaped tablespoons of batter into the pan, flattening each one slightly with the back of the spoon so the centres cook through. Don't crowd the pan — work in batches of three or four. Crowded fritters steam each other and you lose the crisp edge.
7. Fry for 3 minutes per side until deep gold and craggy-crisp at the edges, the smoked paprika now bloomed and fragrant in the hot oil. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm in a low oven (around 100°C) while you cook the rest.
8. Pile the fritters onto a warm platter, scatter the reserved spring onions over the top, spoon the lime-coriander yoghurt into a bowl alongside, and pour the sweet chilli sauce into a second small bowl for dipping.