Mussel pikelets, corn, chilli & avocado

This week’s recipe from Hopgood’s & Co Restaurant & Bar is for Mussel pikelets, corn, chilli & avocado.

Kevin Hopgood says mussels are a readily available and affordable seafood product that you can use in many ways. “You can use pre-cooked or fresh mussels that you will need to cook first, you can even use smoked or chilli flavoured mussels for a flavour twist. These pikelets are also great to make with the kids for a tasty Sunday night dinner.”

Serves 4

Ingredients

500g freshly cooked mussel meat

½ cup fresh cooked corn kernels

1 spring onion, chopped

¼ cup, coriander, roughly chopped

¼ cup, flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

½ red chilli, finely chopped

1 lime, juice & zest

3 eggs, separated

1 cup self-rising flour

Very small pinch of ground cumin

100ml buttermilk or milk

Sea salt & pepper

Canola oil for cooking

Extra lime wedges, extra virgin olive oil and fresh coriander leaves for serving

Method

1. Roughly chopped half the mussel meat, then place into a bowl. Add the remaining meat into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
2. Add to the bowl, along with the cooked corn, spring onion, herbs, chilli, lime juice and zest. Season with salt and pepper.
3. In a separate bowl whisk the egg yolks with the buttermilk until light and fluffy, then add the flour.
4. Whisk to form a smooth batter, then add the mussel meat. Gently mix to combine.
5. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add one-third of the whites to the fritter batter, and mix until smooth, then gently fold through the remaining whites to lighten the batter.
6. To cook the fritters, heat a heavy based frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Add a little canola oil and swirl the pan to coat.
7. Drop in spoon sized amounts of the fritter batter into the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes on each side, or until golden and brown.
8. To serve, divide the fritters between four plates.
9. Serve with the crushed avocado, corn salsa, chilli cream, fresh coriander, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a wedge of lime.