Chorizo Cornmeal Pancakes May Be the Best Pancake Recipe Ever

By Emily Vikre

Each Thursday, Emily Vikre (a.k.a. fiveandspice) will be sharing a new way to love breakfast—because breakfast isn’t just the most important meal of the day. It’s also the most awesome.

Today: These cornmeal and chorizo pancakes are just as good topped with tart fruit and maple syrup as they are dressed up like a taco with salsa and avocado. 

More: 10 sweet and savory pancake recipes

A few years ago I wrote a list of breakfast ideas that was about five pages long. Everything in my head was emptied onto the pages of a small red notebook. Bit by bit I’ve made my way through those ideas, some of the results documented, some preserved only in my memory. I also added new ideas over time, but the number of new ideas is much lower these days because the breakfast requests I receive tend to be one of the following three toddler favorites: “eegs,” “yog-at,” or “pean-a buttah.” 

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What is rather surprising to me, though, upon looking back at my list, is the breakfast ideas I never got to. Among them, torrijas (Spanish-style French toast), hazelnut-chocolate rolls, Irish pancakes, and these chorizo-cornmeal pancakes. What have I even been doing with my time, missing potential gems like these? Many we may never see because this is the last Breakfast of Champions article, as I am moving on to other things to tempt the palate and wet the whistle (stay tuned!).

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But at least the chorizo pancakes oversight has now been remedied. I asked a friend of mine what she would say about chorizo cornmeal pancakes, and her response was, “Yuck, I believe, is what I would be tempted to say.” She’s British, so it sounded witty and endearing when she said it. But, she was also direly mistaken because these turn out to be some of the best pancakes I have ever made.

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The batter—based on a classic sour cream pancake batter—is loaded with sour cream and bound together with only as much flour and cornmeal as is absolutely necessary. The result is a pancake that is by turns light and rich, with a grainy sweetness from corn, a melting quality from the sour cream, and chewy, spicy bites of chorizo folded throughout. Chorizo pairs unexpectedly well with certain sweet flavors, especially maple syrup and peaches, so you can eat these as sweet-savory treats. They also, unsurprisingly, are perfect with the kind of toppings you might add to a taco—avocado, salsa, pickled onions, lime, more sour cream—for a savory breakfast (or a satisfying breakfast-for-dinner).

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I hope they leave you feeling as good about pancakes as they left us (and not at all saying “Yuck”).

More: How to make any pancakes with non-wheat flours

Cornmeal and Chorizo Pancakes

Makes 8 pancakes

1 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 tablespoon maple syrup
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup fine cornmeal or corn flour
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup diced dried chorizo
Toppings! Might I recommend either maple syrup and peaches or blueberries OR salsa/tomatoes and avocado with sea salt and maybe some cilantro or lime or sour cream or pickled onions…

1. Preheat your oven to 250° F (Optional: This is to keep your first batch of pancakes warm while you cook the second). In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sour cream, egg, and maple syrup. in a separate bowl, combine the salt, flours, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold them in until you have a lumpy mixture free of dry streaks. Fold in the chorizo just until mixed in.
   

2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add a large pat of butter and let it melt and foam. Add the batter in about ¼-cup spoonfuls, leaving space between each pancake so they can spread.
   

3. Cook on the first side until they are a deep golden brown on the bottom, forming bubbles, and dry around the edges. Then flip and cook on the second side until browned and cooked through. Transfer the finished pancakes to a baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven while you cook the remaining pancakes.
   

4. Serve the pancakes with a variety of toppings, sweet or savory. They go well with maple syrup and tart fruits; they also go well with taco-style toppings.
   

Photos by Emily Vikre.