Milho Frito is a Portuguese side dish made by deep-frying cooked cornmeal until it’s golden and crispy. It’s traditional from Madeira, usually served with another classic from the island, Espetada Madeirense (Beef Skewers). Think fried polenta with a Portuguese twist! Keep on reading to learn how to make Milho Frito à Moda da Madeira.

Contents hide

1 Milho Frito – Tracing its Origins in Madeiran Food Culture

2 Milho Cozido vs Milho Frito

3 How to Make Authentic Fried Corn from Madeira

4 Milho Frito à Moda da Madeira – The Recipe

5 How to Make Milho Frito – Portuguese Fried Cornmeal

6 Milho Frito – How to Make Fried Cornmeal from Madeira

7 More Portuguese Snacks You Will Love!

Milho Frito – Tracing its Origins in Madeiran Food Culture

Corn itself was brought to Madeira in the 15^th century by the hand of Portuguese settlers. Cornmeal quickly became a staple in Madeiran cuisine, comparable to potatoes, bread, and rice. At first it was a sustenance food, simply cooked with water and a few seasonings. With time, more ingredients were incorporated in these peasant dishes, giving life to slightly more elaborate recipes such as Milho Cozido and Milho Frito.

Milho Cozido vs Milho Frito

The names Milho Cozido and Milho Frito shouldn’t be taken literally, unless you are in Madeira where the word milho is used both to describe the cereal and the flour. These two dishes are made with the same ingredients. In fact, to make Milho Frito you first need to make Milho Cozido which is quite similar to a soft polenta.

For Milho Cozido, cornmeal is mixed with water, butter or lard, garlic, and Portuguese collard greens, and cooked until thickened. It can be served straight away or allowed to cool slightly gaining a thicker consistency. To make Milho Frito the mixture is chilled for a couple of hours, cut into cubes and deep fried in hot oil. Both dishes make excellent sides for meats and stews.

How to Make Authentic Fried Corn from Madeira

The basic ingredients for authentic Madeira style fried corn are white cornmeal, butter or lard, Portuguese collard greens (couve portuguesa), water, and vegetable oil for frying. To season your cornmeal ‘dough’ you will also need garlic, chili flakes, Summer Savory, salt, and black pepper. Since it’s a little trickier to find Summer Savory (Segurelha in Portugal), you can use fresh thyme instead.

Although the traditional recipe calls for white cornmeal, you can replace it with yellow cornmeal which is easier to find. Since we are talking alternatives to traditional ingredients, Portuguese collard greens or Portuguese kale can be also swapped for kale or cavolo nero for those outside Portugal.

Milho Frito à Moda da Madeira – The Recipe

To make Milho Frito the first step is to slice the kale as thinly as possible and set aside. Then on a large pan you add the butter or lard, minced garlic, chili flakes, and thyme sprigs and place it over low heat. Once the butter is bubbly and the garlic is fragrant, you add the water, salt, and black pepper. The next step is to slowly but gradually add the cornmeal whisking vigorously. Continue to stir until it starts to thicken, then add the shredded kale. Continue to cook, stirring often so it doesn’t burn, until it’s thick and smooth and has the consistency of soft mashed potatoes. The whole process should take about 20 to 30 minutes.

Transfer the dough immediately to a greased tray, cover with cling film, making sure the film is in contact with the dough. Pop in the fridge for at least 4 hours but ideally overnight. Remove the cling film, use a sharp knife to cut it into squares of roughly 2 to 3cm. Fry in hot oil until golden and crispy, transfer them to a baking rack or a plate lined with absorbent paper. Allow to cool for a minute or two. That’s it, Milho Frito is ready to be enjoyed on its own or as a side dish.

How to Make Milho Frito – Portuguese Fried Cornmeal

Milho Frito – How to Make Fried Cornmeal from Madeira

Recipe by Ana Veiga

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: SidesCuisine: Mediterranean, PortugueseDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Calories

282

kcal

Milho Frito is a Portuguese side dish made by deep-frying cooked cornmeal until it’s golden and crispy.

Ingredients

250 g White Cornmeal
1.25 l Water
1 tbsp Butter
3 Minced Garlic Cloves
1/2 tsp Chili Flakes
100 g Portuguese Collard Greens
1 tsp Salt
Fresh Thyme
Black Pepper
1 l Vegetable Oil for Frying

Directions

Start by rinsing thoroughly the leaves of the Portuguese kale. Pat them dry, then cut out the hard stem at the centre of the leaves. Pile the leaves up, then roll them tightly. Use a sharp knife to shred them as thinly as possible. Set aside.
Place a heavy bottom pan over low heat. Add in the butter, minced garlic, the chili flakes, and a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme.
Once it’s fragrant, pour in the room temperature water. Season with the salt, and black pepper to taste.
Pour in the cornmeal gradually, stirring vigorously with a whisk until the corn meal is fully incorporated. Switch to a wooden spoon, continue to stir every now and then until it starts to thicken.
Add in the shredded kale, continue to stir until the mixture is thick and smooth. The consistency should be similar to soft mashed potatoes.
Transfer the dough immediately to a greased tray, cover with cling film making sure the film is in contact with the dough. The size of the tray will determine how tall your fried cornmeal squares will be in the end.
Pop in the fridge for at least 4 hours for the mixture to solidify.
Remove the cling film, cut it into squares of roughly 2 to 3cm.
Add the vegetable oil to a pan suitable for frying. Place it over low to medium heat. Once it reaches about 180°C it should be ready for frying.
Fry your squares in batches until golden and crispy. Transfer them to a baking rack or a plate lined with absorbent paper. Season with a little more salt if needed. Enjoy on its own, with a dipping sauce, or as a side to steaks, roasts, and stews.

Recipe Video

Tips

In Portugal you can buy ‘couve para caldo verde’ which is shredded collard greens. They are meant for the Portuguese Kale Soup but work perfectly in this recipe.
You can also use lard instead of butter.
For extra crispiness you can lightly coat the squares in cornmeal before frying.

Have you tried this recipe? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you!