I've been eating a lot of black-eyed peas this past year, mostly in tacos. I really like these flavorful, versatile beans which are also a cinch to prepare with their short cooking time. When I recently saw Milk Street's West African Black-Eyed Pea Fritters, I thought these would be a logical extension of my new black-eyed pea love.
These fritters couldn't have been easier to make – no bean cooking required – and the final result was good, though not great. The fritters tasted like what you'd expect a fried black eyed-pea snack to taste like, nothing more, nothing less.
While I am not sure if I will make these treats again, I did enjoy the crunchy exterior coupled with the moist and soft interior and the subtle black-eyed pea flavor.
The fritter batter starts by soaking the beans before throwing them in a food processor.
Then stir in the other herbs to make the final batter. Finish by dropping spoonfuls into the 350 degree oil.
Three modifications I made to the Milk Street recipe: I inadvertently soaked the peas for 27 hours, I halved the recipe, and I subbed jalapenos or serranos for the fresnos, which generally aren't available in our store. The final fritters also required a fair amount of extra salt for the bean and chile flavors really come out.
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