Panko Fried Corn on the Cob With Sriracha Butter

Hmmm, Deep fried corn on the cob. If you've never had it, you don't know what your missing. Traditionally though, it can fall flat, as often the batter gets kinda soggy. Or, perhaps its done with a cornmeal batter, again its good but the corn never caramelizes, nor is it really crispy; the hallmark of deep fried food. I mean why go to the trouble of deep frying only for it to be soft... What to do, what to do... Panko to the rescue! If you haven't used panko before, it is a Japanese bread crumb that stays marvelously crisp long after frying. It's da-bomb! Once you go panko, all else is just wanko... Ok, perhaps wanko isn't a word, but... you can't go back to regular bread crumbs, you just can't. The panko seasoned with cumin and chili, accents the corn that is glistening with caramelized sugars. Perfect to put out the fire created by drizzling it with the tangy sriracha butter. To really step it up, drizzle it with pure sriracha and sushi mayo and you have something that tastes part street food, part carnival, part upscale Tokyo sushi joint, you just don't know which end is up. It is so tasty, and perfect as a snack or appy. Which is awesome, because this goes together quick, like 30 minutes quick from start to finish, and you feel like you've traveled the world! NICE.

• Fresh corn on the cob 2-3 ears as they are broken in half or even thirds

• Oil to fry with, Peanut oil is king, but perhaps you have allergies
  to worry about. Grape seed and bran oil work well as they have high smoking points and they are next to flavorless. About 1 liter.

• Some Popsicle stick cut in half and sharpened like your Buffy the vampire slayer....

• Other fun toppings like pure sriracha and sushi mayo are amazing together.

• The batter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon each of chili powder, cumin seed and white sugar
  • About 2 tablespoons of ranch - yeah it's kinda red-neck, but it works
• The Breading
  • About 2 cups of panko bread crumbs
  • 1 Tablespoon each of salt, paprika, oregano, onion powder
• Sriracha Butter
  • 3/4 cup of butter
  • 1/4 cup of sriracha sauce
  • 2 tablespoons of lime juice
  • 1/4 cup of minced cilantro

This is a pretty easy step

1. Break off the stem
2. shuck the corn (remove the leaves and stringy bits)
3. snap in half or thirds, its up to you

This is a simple egg wash

1. Crack an egg into a bowl.
2. Add enough ranch salad dressing to be roughly equivalent the size of the eggs yolk
3. Add to this your chili powder, sugar, cumin seed and a sprinkle of black pepper
4. Beat it up

In a large bowl,

1. Add your panko and toss it with your oregano, salt, paprika and onion powder
2. Impale your corn with a sharpened Popsicle stick
3. Dip your corn in the egg batter mixture to coat
4. Gently roll your eggy corn, in the panko mixture
5. Set it aside to dry out a bit. 5 minutes is fine, this can be while your oil is heating up

Now is a good time to make the Sriracha butter.

1. Melt the butter in the microwave in a bowl or mug
2. Add you lime juice, sriracha sauce and minced cilantro
3. Stir...
4. ta-DA! your done

Heat up your oil of choice in a pot till just right. When is that you ask? i have always used a wooden spoon, chopstick or in this case, a wooden Popsicle stick as my guide. After the oil has been heated on high for several minutes I stick my piece of wood kitchen implement into the oil. When you see a flurry of bubbles emit from the wood under the oil, you know you are good.

1. Gently, lower the corn into the oil. (One at a time)
2. Cook for about 2-3 minutes
3. Remove from oil and drain once the breading looks crispy golden brown

At this point you can just drizzle it with your sriracha butter and call it a day. It will be very good, but why not got the extra mile and drizzle it also with fresh sriracha and sushi mayo. You will be blown away by the flavour combinations. The sweet nutty corn, the savory crunchy coating, the tangy spicy zip of the two sauces combining really bring it home. Honestly, It will not disappoint. It really does remind you of carnival corn merged with a deep fried volcano sushi roll somewhere in a Mexican street market. Its perfect.

Ok, i should probably delete this step. I look kinda creepy, but my daughter thought the pictures were funny. This is why I usually get some cutey like my wife to pose. I am so, so sorry...