Zucchini Fritters

I see those photos from your gardens and the zucchini are still coming in. So this is the third installment of the Zucchini Trilogy – Zucchini Fritters.

We had these quite a bit during the summers growing up. I am not sure why they left my mind, because I loved them even as a kid. I really haven’t met a fritter I didn’t love, sweet or savory.

These little gems are fairly simple, but they make a great side to any dish, or they are a great, light, vegetarian summer dinner all on their own. The fritters are fairly healthy also, with just a little bit of flour and cheese, and then fried in olive oil.

The secret to get them to stick together well is to remove as much of the excess water from the zucchini as possible. After shredding the zucchini, place it in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Give it a good stir and let sit for 10-15 minutes or more. After that time is up, dump the zucchini into a colander and give the colander a few shakes to remove the water pulled out by the salt.

Remove even more water by laying the zucchini out onto a layer of paper towels or a clean tea towel. Lay another layer of towel on top and press gently to release more moisture.

Then you mix flour, eggs, cheese, chives and some salt and pepper together and add the zucchini. The cheese you use is your own choice, but we like freshly grated parmesan because the flavor profile complements most things. But you can mix in cheddar or any firm cheese you like.

A note on the chives – you can use standard chives, but I used garlic chives that we grow in our own herb box. They provide a little extra bit of garlic flavor. You can even use a bit of green onions if you prefer.

Heat just a shallow layer of olive oil into a nonstick skillet and drop the mixture by teaspoons into the pan. I like to use a cookie scoop to keep the fritters even in size. Give them a gentle pat with the spatula to flatten them out a bit. Do not overcrowd the pan. I like to put just 3-4 fritters in at once so that I have room to flip them with ease.

Fry on each side for 2-3 minutes or until nicely golden. When finished, remove the fritters to a cookie sheet lined with paper towels to drain any excess oil.

To keep the finished fritters warm while you fry the rest, you can either cover the pan with some aluminum foil, or place them on a baking sheet in a warm oven.

Zucchini fritters are delicious on their own, or with a dollop of sour cream. They are quite yummy with ranch dressing as well. Even my zucchini-loathing teen loves these. She had seconds!

I served the fritters alongside some delicious lemon butter Barramundi and they were the perfect complement to the fish.

If you find you have leftovers, store them in the fridge. When ready to eat them, simply warm them back up in a nonstick skillet.

If you have zucchini coming out of your ears, you can make these fritters and flash freeze them for future use. Simply make the fritters as you normally would. Then place them on a cookie sheet in a single layer and place in the freezer until frozen solid. Once frozen, you can move the fritters into a freezer storage bag and pop them in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Once you are ready to eat them, lay the fritters out on a baking sheet, single layer, and heat up in an oven set to 325ºF until hot.

Give them a try and I am sure they will become a summer favorite for your family, too.

*Recipe adapted from www.savorynothings.com