Quick pickling the corn kernels gives a nice little pop of acidity to the fritters but if you’re short on time, this can be skipped and water can be used to loosen the fritter mixture. If you want to bulk out the recipe to feed a crowd, bump up the fish and add some grated purple kumara, potato or sliced onions.
These flavour-packed fritters are best eaten screaming hot and still crispy straight from the pot, so be sure to make the tomato sambal ahead of time. Candlenuts need to be cooked before consuming, so don’t be tempted to have a nibble.
Fritters such as these are a great way to use up any leftover quinoa. They have a dense texture but the rich nuttiness of the grain comes through. I have made these gluten free, but use plain flour or rice flour if you prefer.
With tuatua there is nothing nicer than mixing the chopped meat with a simple batter, and frying. Here I have stretched the mix further with cabbage and potato. I use Lauraine Jacobs’ method of freezing the fresh tuatua in their shells so they only get cooked once, or use Cloudy Bay tuatua that are easy to shuck. If time is short mix the seaweed, lemon and togarashi seasoning into good-quality mayo to serve.