So you’ve got that bag of split peas that the church (food bank, WIC, mother-in-law) gave you, and now you have to do something with it. Soup seems kind of milquetoast and disturbingly green. Curried split peas might work, but then you’d have to eat it and it’s not like curry is comfort food of the highest order, also–still green. So mostly you try to ignore those split peas, hoping they’ll cook themselves one day, or maybe you can give them to someone who isn’t as well off as yourself (kind of like your MIL did.) Do not despair. I bring tidings of great joy. Or at least of something that makes split peas taste like anything except, well… split peas.
This recipe makes split peas taste like, well… I think they taste sort of like fish sticks. No, my boys say, more like corn dogs. For what it’s worth, they don’t taste anything like split peas. So if that’s what you’re aiming for, this is the recipe that will do it.
Split Pea Fritters
For the Peas
- 3/4 cup split peas
- 4 cups water
For the Fritters
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon EACH cayenne pepper and black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Oil for frying
Directions
First prepare the split peas. In a medium-sized saucepan bring the peas and water to a gentle boil. Simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes or until the peas are mostly tender but not too mushy. Remove from the heat. Drain off the cooking water. if you’re feeling very thrifty you will save it for soup. Place the peas in a mixing bowl to cool. At this point you can refrigerate the peas for several hours or overnight. So if you wanted to have these for lunch then boil the peas after breakfast and set them aside until needed.
When the peas are no longer hot add the milk and egg and stir until soupy. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and seasonings. Mix well to make a thick batter.
Heat 1/4-cup of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drop in about 3-tablespoons of batter for each fritter. I can usually fit 4 of them in a 10-inch skillet. When the undersides are brown and crispy turn them over and brown the flip side. Transfer the cooked fritters to a plate lined with newspaper or paper towels. Add more oil to the skillet if need be and continue on until all of the batter is used. I usually get 11 fritters, but it’s supposed to make 10 to 12. I find this amount makes 3-servings.
These are great as the main part of a vegetable plate including stewed tomatoes, coleslaw or green bean salad. I prefer my fritters dipped in both ketchup and mustard, like a corn dog, but they’re also good with mayonnaise or tartar sauce or even barbecue sauce.
7 Responses to “Split Pea Fritters”
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Have you made these with the GLAD flour or just rice flour? They sound good but I am gluten intolerant. Just wondering before I try it if you already have.
Hey Michelle. I haven’t tried to make them gluten free yet. They’re still on my “To Test” list. I had a lot of reader requests for recipes that used to be up on Frugal Abundance before we gave up gluten. I have been sharing them the past couple of weeks and placing htem in the new section “Rock Bottom Broke.” These recipes are not gluten free for the most part. They were written before we gave up gluten, so they may sound like they are things we are currently eating, but they are not. For instance, when I describe how the children think these fritters taste, that is what they told me 8 or 9-years ago. I haven’t re-tested any of these recipes because I don’t eat wheat or dairy now. Some of them, like this one, I will eventually re-test with GLAD flour and non-dairy milk.
When I do re-test this one, I’m going to use GLAD flour measure for measure to replace the wheat flour. I’m not going to change anything else, just use GLAD flour and leave the rest the same. I suspect they will turn out exactly right, but every now and then I think that and then turn out to be exactly wrong.
I will say that this recipe is well tested in the gluten-full version, so I am hopeful that the GLAD flour version will turn out just as good.
Another option is to use 1/2-cup rice flour, 1/4-cup cornstarch, 2-eggs and 1/3 cup soymilk, plus the seasonings. I haven’t tested this version either. The GLAD version I’m pretty confident in, this rice flour/cornstarch/extra egg-version I’m sort of flying by the seat of my pants.
Sorry I couldn’t be of more help. If you do try it with GLAD flour, please let me know.
I’m going to try them today. Thanks for the suggestion on the rice flour/cornstarch/extra egg. That’s what I will use. I’ll let you know how they turn out.
I have no complaint about your re-posting the gluten full recipes. I am the only one in the family gluten free and dairy free and my family has loved your “regular” recipes for many years. Many are now family favorites that show up regularly at our house. Thanks for all that you do!
Thanks Michelle. I was worried that I hadn’t explained what I was doing and that scores of people all over the globe were saying “Why is this GF chick posting all these gluten recipes? Has she abandoned the cause?” No, I have not and never will abandon the cause. 🙂 I feel so much better now, I can never give it up.
I made the recipe today. It was excellent! I’ll definitely be making these again. I used yellow split peas since that’s what I had. It took 3/4 cup of rice flour, 1/4 cup of cornstarch, 2 eggs and 1/3 cup of almond milk. The 1/2 cup of rice flour wasn’t enough and the batter was too thin. With the 3/4 cup of rice flour, the batter was a little thinner than pancake batter. Is that about right?
I made them TOO! And it took me 3/4-cup of rice flour too. I was worried the rice flour would make them grainy, but nope, they were just right. I may reduce the milk down to 1/4-cup. I want to test the recipe a couple of more times before I post it, to work out the kinks. I did notice that the recipe is written for a child’s palate. I think I would like them spicier, like with at least 1/4-teaspoon red pepper. Maybe more. We had them with brown mustard and bbq sauce. The boys were suspicious, because split peas. But they ate them and then were all like “I remember these. Yeah Mom, these are good.” Now they don’t think the fritters taste like corn dogs. Now they say they just taste like split peas, only good.
I used 3/4-cup rice flour, 1/4-cup cornstarch, 2-eggs, the well drained-cooked peas, 1/3-cup soymilk and the rest the same as the recipe above. I got about 15-fritters, instead of the 11 I used to get with wheat flour. The batter was about as thick as pancake batter, but lumpier.
Thank you soooooo much for your input MIchelle. It really helped me. I was worried my 3/4-cup rice flour was a fluke. I’ve got leftover to reheat for my breakfast this morning. I’m toasting them in the toaster oven and they smell pretty good. 🙂