Chipotle & Lime Crunchy Corn

Directions

1. 1
   Rinse posole. Place posole in non-reactive bowl or container, and cover with water by at least 2 inches. Cover and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours.
2. 2
   Drain posole in a colander shaking as much water off as possible. Line a rimmed sheet pan with a clean tea towel or paper towels, and spread the posole out to dry. Allow to dry for 30 or so minutes. It doesn't need to be bone dry, you just don't want much water on the surface as you'll be dropping it into hot oil.
3. 3
   While your posole is drying, make your spice mixture. Grind the chipotle (seeds and all) in a spice grinder until fairly fine. Zest your lime and add the zest to the grinder. Slice the lime into 6 wedges and set aside. Add the salt, paprika, and sumac to the grinder. Pulse several times until well-blended and no large pieces of chipotle or lime remain. Transfer spice mixture to a paper lunch bag, and set aside.
4. 4
   Line a sheet pan with 2 to 3 layers of paper towels. Set aside for draining the fried posole.
5. 5
   In a 3-quart or larger sauce pan (or deep fryer if you've got one) heat 1 1/2 to 2 inches of canola oil to 375° F. Using a spider or large slotted spoon lower about 1/3 of the posole into the oil. Fry until the posole is a light golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Use spider or slotted spoon to remove posole, and transfer to paper towel lined pan.
6. 6
   Repeat with remaining posole, allowing the oil to reach 375° between batches.
7. 7
   Sprinkle juice from 4 lime wedges over the posole. Transfer posole to the lunch bag containing your spices and shake well to coat. Transfer posole to a mesh strainer to cool completely (it gets crunchier as it cools.) Store in a tightly sealed container. Will keep for at least several days.