Cauliflower Fritters with Lemony Mayo
I know, it (kind of) defeats the purpose of eating cauliflower to deep fry it and serve it with lemony mayo. (Then again, if you’re going to eat fried food, you may as well get a cauliflower out of it.)
Parka season = beer batter season, right? And when everyone has planted themselves on the couch for a hockey game or movie or rousing game of Munchkin, they inevitably want to eat something. And I like it when that something can fall simultaneously into multiple categories: 1) salty, 2) dippy, and 3) edible with fingers. (And truly, a platter of crudites and dip never gets a welcome response on a snowy Saturday night.) Cauliflower florets have a lovely creamy texture and mellow flavour, but if you’re like me, once you have a bowl of batter and a pot of oil at your disposal, you may go a little nuts, deep-frying anything you can find in your fridge. (I imagine a zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced, would also make a great candidate.)
I got this recipe (more or less – it did require some finessing for home use) from my pal Paul from the much-loved Rouge and Bistro Rouge, where apparently the majority of tables down an order of these before dinner. I’ve made them a few times since, because a) they’re awesome, and b) don’t require you to get dressed and shovel off the car.
In other news, I have a meeting tomorrow afternoon with a new web designer! For real! It’s my resolution (new year or not) to say no to all extra things until I give this place an overhaul. I’m sorry the design is so dated, and that the Index hasn’t been updated since 2009. Is there anything you’d like to see, in terms of design, content or functionality? And on the home front, the kitchen is almost ALMOST done – it’s functional, but still needs a backsplash, which is being cut and painted now, and is scheduled to be installed on Friday. I’ll keep you posted and do a proper update… likely on Monday, when a photographer is coming to shoot it for the cover story of the spring issue of Flavours Magazine! It’s a good thing my life revolves around deadlines, or I’d never get anything done.
Cauliflower Fritters with Lemony Mayo
AuthorJulie
Steam cauliflower florets until tender; cool and refrigerate until needed. In a deep bowl, whisk flour with beer and a big pinch of salt until smooth, dip cooked cauliflower florets in the batter and carefully place one at a time in a deep-fryer, preheated to 360?F; cook until golden brown. (Alternatively, heat a couple inches of canola oil in a pot until it's hot but not smoking - a scrap of bread should sizzle when dipped in. Cook a few at a time, without crowding the pot.) Remove with a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt.
To make the mayo, stir all the ingredients together in a bowl, adding enough juice to keep it thick, yet tangy, and seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the fritters immediately, with the mayo for dipping.
Ingredients
Directions
Steam cauliflower florets until tender; cool and refrigerate until needed. In a deep bowl, whisk flour with beer and a big pinch of salt until smooth, dip cooked cauliflower florets in the batter and carefully place one at a time in a deep-fryer, preheated to 360?F; cook until golden brown. (Alternatively, heat a couple inches of canola oil in a pot until it's hot but not smoking - a scrap of bread should sizzle when dipped in. Cook a few at a time, without crowding the pot.) Remove with a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt.
To make the mayo, stir all the ingredients together in a bowl, adding enough juice to keep it thick, yet tangy, and seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the fritters immediately, with the mayo for dipping.
These looks delicious!! I’m having a few friends over this weekend to watch football (one of the two weekends I do) and I am definitely adding these to my menu. Thanks for sharing 🙂
visual recipe guides are always nice. looking fwd to the new design! love your site!
These look so yummy! I think even my hubby would ask for cauliflower this way! For the web site, a preference I have is to be able to open a new window from links inside a web site, so if more than one of the “related links” appeals, I don’t have to keep navigating back to the original page.
Beer-batter cauliflower? Girl, you have just topped the cauli-game, this looks and sounds fantastic 🙂 At least you get one out of your five a day, I could think of unhealthier things.
This is soul food 😀 x
Okay that is my plate, I hope you will make more for others. They look fantastic!!
I just have to say thank you Julie for always making my day alittle bit brighter. I love the recipes, the back stories and the fact you are human like the rest of us that work towards deadlines!
I can’t wait to see the new kitchen.
Alex! Thank you! Such a nice thing to say. Smiling big time here!
Can’t wait to see the kitchen!! Whenever I see a post that requires deep fat frying, it goes into my impossible column. Advice?
What kind of advice do you need Rose? Reassurance that deep frying is not that difficult – not much different from shallow frying? I don’t think these could be baked with the same result…
One of my resolutions for 2015 is to share more joy and to show my appreciation to whoever deserves it! So here goes… I LOVE your site.. the recipes are amazing, the stories make me smile or laugh or they inspire me to make something new with my kids or go the beach or jump right into an adventure or just do something fun! I love that you are always learning something new, taking on lots of projects, and fully engaged in life! I’ve been reading your site and making your recipes since it started. Thanks being part of my day for all this time! Can’t wait to see the new site… and your new kitchen!
JULIE!! You totally just made my day!! Wow. I have to print your kind comment out and post it on my bulletin board. (Yes, I still have a bulletin board!) Sorry for the slow response.. my new years’ resolution is to check my comments more! 🙂
I do that as well, when there is batter and hot oil anything is game. Best thing so far on the fly was deep fried pickled asparagus spears. OMG! Can’t wait to try the cauliflower.
I want an entire order all to myself.
Your site is the first one I rely on for recipes, they never fail. I use Google to find things on it. If there were themes and tags so I could search by ingredient (e.g., cauliflower) or by types (e.g., pies) or by story sagas (e.g., kitchen :)) that would make my day.
One blog I like for organization is 101Cookbooks.com. I always go there for salad ideas.
Love your site, can’t wait to see the revamp!
Ok, I might be the odd one asking this…but I hate beer. What can I use in place of tyne beer to add flavour?
Nicole – just use sparkling water instead! I hate beer too.. but you can’t taste it in the finished batter. Honestly.
This has been on my list to try since you posted it, and tonight I did it! Totally easy and mine did look like the picture 🙂 Love your recipes, it is my go to for dinners, salads, cookies (made 2 batches of yours today) and especially…scones! yummy! The only problem with this recipe? It’s too easy! Might be making it many more times 🙂
Ha – that’s a good problem to have Katrina! 🙂
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Exceptional posting. Extremely exciting to study. I really really like to study this kind of a nice short article. Many thanks! keep rocking.
Very efficiently written information. It will be valuable to everyone who uses it, including myself. Thanks a lot!!
oh nom nom nom that looks awesome!