Red Pepper, Corn and Sriracha Pancakes by Yotam Ottolenghi

The avocado salsa works a treat here but the pancakes are also great just as they are, with a squeeze of lime. The batter can be made the day before and kept in the fridge. Hold back on the baking powder and egg whites if you do this, adding both to the mix just before cooking.

Ingredients

  • 2 large red peppers (420g)
  • 2 whole fresh corn cobs, papery husks removed (500g)
  • 3 large eggs, yolks and whites separated
  • 150ml whole milk
  • 100g unsalted butter, half melted, and half to fry the pancakes
  • 2 tbsp sriracha, plus extra to serve, if you like
  • 200g plain flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ¾ tsp salt

For the avocado and lime salsa

  • 4 ripe avocados, roughly chopped
  • 2 green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 4 limes – juice 2 to get 2½ tbsp, and cut 2 into wedges, to serve
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 10g coriander, roughly chopped
  • ⅓ tsp salt

Instructions

Heat the oven to 220C/425F/gas 7. Put the peppers on a small baking tray and roast whole for 25 minutes, until browned all over, then transfer to a bowl and set aside, covered with clingfilm, for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, grill the corn for 10 minutes under a high heat, turning throughout, until charred all over. Set aside to cool for five minutes and then slice the charred sweetcorn off the cob.

Now peel off and discard the skin, stalk and seeds of the peppers. Finely chop the flesh of one pepper, transfer to a bowl and set aside. Put the second in a food processor and set aside.

Add one half of the corn to the chopped pepper. Add the other half to the food processor and blitz with the pepper until fairly smooth, then add this to the chopped pepper and sweetcorn. Add the yolks, milk, melted butter and sriracha, mix and set aside.

Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate, large bowl, add the wet mix and stir to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks – about three minutes if whisking by hand – , then gently fold this in, too.

To cook, add 10g butter to a large, nonstick frying pan on a medium heat. Once hot, add about three tablespoons of batter per pancake to the pan and fry for four to five minutes, turning halfway through, until cooked through and golden brown. Keep each one warm while you make the rest, adding more butter to the pan with each batch.

For the salsa, simply stir everything together. Serve two or three warm pancakes per person with a generous spoonful of the salsa, a wedge of lime and a drizzle of extra sriracha if you like it spicy.

Click here for more corn recipes by Yotam Ottolenghi