Hairy Bikers sweetcorn fritters are crispy, spiced fritters made with frozen sweetcorn, eggs, soy sauce and sriracha, served with a lime and chilli dipping sauce. The recipe makes 12 at just 57 calories each and takes under 30 minutes from start to finish.
This comes from The Hairy Dieters: Fast Food (2016), Si and Dave’s under-30-minute recipe collection. The batter uses just 60g of flour for all 12 fritters, so it’s almost entirely egg-bound. That’s how they keep each one under 60 calories.
Si and Dave’s key warning is don’t crowd the pan. Cook 4 or 5 at a time, or they’ll steam instead of crisping and be impossible to flip. Their other trick is defrosting frozen sweetcorn with boiling water, which takes about a minute.
Hairy Bikers Spicy Sweetcorn Fritters
Course: AppetizersCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy12
servings10
minutes15
minutes57
kcal25
minutesA vegetarian fritter from The Hairy Dieters: Fast Food (2016), with a soy and sriracha dipping sauce. Si and Dave designed these as a starter or side that works at BBQs, with salad, or alongside sliced ham.
Ingredients
- For the fritters:
300g frozen sweetcorn
3 eggs
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sriracha hot sauce or similar
60g plain flour
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander stems
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 spring onion, finely chopped
low-cal oil spray
flaked sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
- For the dipping sauce:
2 tbsp soy sauce
juice of 1 lime
½ tsp sugar or honey
1 tsp red chilli flakes
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Directions
- Defrost the corn: Bring a kettle of water to the boil. Put the sweetcorn in a heatproof bowl, pour over some boiling water and leave for a minute or so while the sweetcorn defrosts. Drain and set aside.
- Make the batter: Crack the eggs into a separate bowl and beat them until well broken up. Add the soy sauce and hot sauce and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the plain flour and whisk to combine, making sure there are no lumps. Add the coriander stems, garlic, spring onion and sweetcorn to the batter and stir thoroughly.
- Fry the fritters: Heat a large frying pan and spray with oil, covering the base as evenly as possible. Dollop heaped tablespoons of the batter on to the pan, spacing them out well. You should be able to cook 4 or 5 fritters at once, but don’t be tempted to crowd the pan or it will be hard to turn them. Cook the fritters for 2–3 minutes until well browned underneath, then flip them and cook on the other side. Remove the fritters from the pan and set them aside to keep warm while you cook the rest.
- Make the dipping sauce: While the fritters are cooking, put the soy sauce and lime juice in a small bowl, add the sugar or honey and stir until completely dissolved. Add the chilli flakes and garlic, then leave to stand until ready to serve.
Notes
- Calories: Sweetcorn 300g (~258) + eggs 3 (~234) + soy sauce 1 tbsp (~9) + sriracha 1 tsp (~5) + flour 60g (~218) + coriander/garlic/spring onion (~10) + oil spray (~10) = ~744 kcal for fritters. Dipping sauce: soy 2 tbsp (~18) + lime (~10) + sugar (~8) + chilli/garlic (~5) = ~41 kcal. Total: ~785 kcal ÷ 12 = ~65 kcal per fritter. Official site states 57 kcal (likely lower sweetcorn value and spray oil at zero). Used 57.
FAQs
Why use coriander stems instead of leaves?
Coriander stems have a stronger, more concentrated flavour than the leaves and hold up better in a hot pan. The stems stay punchy when cooked into the batter, while leaves would wilt to nothing in seconds. Si and Dave specify stems throughout their books when they want bold herb flavour in cooked dishes.
They’re also cheaper since most people throw them away. Chop them as finely as the recipe says, because larger pieces can make the fritters uneven. If you don’t like coriander at all, flat-leaf parsley works as a swap.
Can I use fresh sweetcorn instead of frozen?
Yes, but you’ll need to cut the kernels off the cob first. Two or three medium cobs should give you about 300g of kernels. There’s no need for the boiling water step since fresh corn is already thawed.
Fresh corn is slightly sweeter and has a better snap when you bite into the fritter. I prefer it in summer when cobs are cheap, and frozen the rest of the year. Either way the batter and dipping sauce stay exactly the same.
What can I use instead of sriracha?
Si and Dave say “sriracha hot sauce or similar,” so any chilli sauce with a bit of heat works. Tabasco adds more vinegar tang, while sweet chilli sauce makes them milder. A pinch of cayenne pepper mixed into the batter is the simplest swap.
The sriracha isn’t just for heat though, it adds garlic and a slight sweetness that rounds out the soy sauce in the batter. If you leave it out entirely, add an extra half clove of garlic to compensate.
How do I stop the fritters falling apart?
Make sure the batter has no flour lumps before you add the sweetcorn. The eggs are doing most of the binding here, so whisk them thoroughly with the flour, soy and sriracha before stirring in the corn. Drain the sweetcorn well too, because excess water creates steam that stops them browning.
The other key is patience. Let each fritter cook for a full 2–3 minutes before flipping, so the bottom sets firmly. If you turn them too early the centre is still liquid and they’ll break apart.
Can I make the dipping sauce ahead?
Yes, and it actually improves with time. Mix it up to a day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. The chilli flakes soften and release more flavour as they sit in the lime and soy.
Add the garlic fresh if you’re making it more than a few hours ahead, as raw garlic can turn bitter overnight. The sauce doesn’t need any cooking, which is part of why this recipe stays under 30 minutes. If you’re making these for a party, prep the sauce and batter ahead so all you need on the night is a hot pan.
How do I store leftover fritters?
Let them cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in a dry frying pan over medium heat for a couple of minutes each side to get the crispness back. The oven works too: spread them on a baking tray at 200°C for 5 minutes.
The microwave will warm them through but makes them soft and floppy. If you’ve made the Hairy Bikers chilli con carne, leftover fritters make a surprisingly good side for it the next day.
