These crispy golden fritters are an ode to the South Carolina Lowcountry, combining two local heirloom ingredients: Sea Island red peas and Charleston Gold rice. Chef Rhonda Mitchell, who owns and operates The Drizzled Pear in Charleston, sources her red peas from Marsh Hen Mill and her rice from Rollen’s Raw Grains, but you can substitute with black-eyed peas and long-grain jasmine rice in a pinch. The fritters are served with a sweet and tangy tomato jam, which gains a hint of smoke from smoked paprika.
Featured in “The Women Carrying the Torch of Gullah Geechee Cuisine” by Shane Mitchell.
Makes: About 30 fritters; 1 cup tomato jam
Time: 3 hours 35 minutes
Ingredients
For the tomato jam:
- 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- One 28-oz. can whole tomatoes, drained and juices reserved, tomatoes coarsely chopped
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar, plus more if needed
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar, plus more if needed
- 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
- Kosher salt
For the fritters:
- ⅓ cup finely chopped onion
- 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for oiling
- ½ tsp. curry powder
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- ½ cup Sea Island red peas, soaked overnight and drained
- 1 cup Charleston or Carolina Gold rice
- Kosher salt
- 1 bunch (12 oz.) collard greens, stemmed and leaves coarsely chopped
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 cups panko
- 2½ cups vegetable oil
Instructions
- Make the tomato jam: In a medium pot over medium heat, add the oil and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5–7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1–2 minutes more. Stir in the chopped tomatoes with reserved juices, sugar, vinegar, and paprika and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have broken down and the mixture is deep red and thickened to a jam-like consistency, 45–60 minutes. Season to taste with salt and more vinegar or sugar if needed. Allow to cool to room temperature, then transfer to a serving bowl and set aside.
- Make the fritters: To a medium pot over medium-high heat, add the onion and olive oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add the vegetable stock and peas and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer until the peas are fully tender, 35–40 minutes. Reserve ¼ cup of the cooking liquid, then drain. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, rinse the rice under cold water once. To a second medium pot, add the rice, ½ teaspoon of salt, and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Set aside.
- Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a medium bowl with ice water. Add the collard greens to the boiling water and cook until deep green and tender, 2–3 minutes. Using a spider, transfer to the ice water until cool, then drain, squeeze out any extra water, and chop finely.
- To a large bowl, add half of the peas and mash them with a potato masher or wooden spoon until mostly smooth. Stir in the rice, collards, and remaining peas to combine. The batter should be slightly sticky and hold together. Adjust with some of the reserved cooking liquid if too dry. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes.
- Using three separate shallow bowls, add the flour to one, the beaten egg to the second, and the panko to the third. Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, portion the batter and, with lightly oiled hands, gently shape into rounds. Working with one at a time, dredge each fritter in the flour, dip in the egg, and coat evenly with the panko. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until chilled, about 30 minutes.
- To a large deep skillet fitted with a deep-fry thermometer, add the vegetable oil and turn the heat to medium-high. When the temperature reaches 350°F, working in batches, fry the fritters, stirring gently halfway through, until golden brown all over, 7–8 minutes total. Remove to a wire rack and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Bring the oil back to temperature between batches.
- Serve the fritters hot with the tomato jam.
The post Red Pea and Collard Fritters With Smoky Tomato Jam appeared first on Saveur.
