For today’s special I made Pan-Seared Mahi with Applewood Smoked Bacon-Corn Fritters and Charred Yellow Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho. This dish has great flavor, color and texture. The Yellow Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho is served cold, which is quite refreshing during the summer and boasts a beautiful golden color with flecks of black and green. For even more contrast, a traditional red tomato gazpacho would pop nicely against the golden corn fritter and seared Mahi.

For the bacon-corn fritter, I sauteed the bacon and then added diced onion and fresh shucked corn kernels and cooked until the corn was tender but still had some crunch. Set the mixture aside and cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, in a blender, add a small amount of cream, egg and fresh corn kernels and blend until creamy. In another bowl, add about a cup of flour, a tsp of baking powder and then stir in the cream-corn and the bacon-corn mixtures to combine. Add chopped fresh basil, parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

You can either drop spoonfills of the mixture into a saute pan, or spray a small cookie cutter with oil and then spoon the mixture into the form to create a more defined circle. Saute on low until somewhat firm (remove the cookie cutter) and then flip and finish in the oven until fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside.

This bacon-corn fritter is great served with either roasted chicken, ribs, salmon, shrimp, or soft-shelled crabs. Change up the sauce/salad depending on what you serve it with and you’ll have delicious entree for summer! Enjoy!