Lobster and Corn Fritters

From Food and Wine magazine, this recipe originally called for the meat from a cooked, 1 1/2 pound whole, live lobster. You can easily substitute fresh pre-cooked lobster or crab meat, or even pre-cooked shrimp. Geat for a fish-fry side!

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Yields: 25 Fritters

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups  fresh lobster meat, coarsely chopped (pre-cooked)
• 1⁄2 cup fresh basil leaf
• 1⁄2 cup mayonnaise
•  salt
•  fresh ground black pepper
• 1  cup all-purpose flour
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3⁄4 cup buttermilk
• 1  large egg, separated
• 1  ear of corn, kernels cut from cob
• 2  tablespoons  minced chives
• 1  tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
•  vegetable oil, for frying
•  lemon wedge, for serving

Directions

1. In a small saucepan of boiling water, blanche the basil for 30 seconds. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Squeeze the excess water from the basil and transfer to a blender. Add the mayonnaise and puree. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate the basil mayonnaise until lightly chilled.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoons salt. In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the egg yolk. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the buttermilk mixture. Stir lightly, then fold in the lobster, corn, chives and melted butter. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg white to soft peaks and fold it into the batter.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large saucepan, heat 1 1/2" of oil to 325 degrees. Drop four to five 2 tablespoons size dollops of batter into the hot oil and fry, turning once, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the fritters to paper towels to drain; season with salt. Transfer fritters to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while you fry the rest. Serve right away, with the basil mayonnaise and lemon wedges.