Fritters are in the Family with Hush Puppies, Potato Pancakes—a Thick Batter of Shredded Veggies

I like to make them mixed with feta or blue cheese. It fits both the starch and veggie component in a meal. And they’re fun to make.

Make a batch of fritters using any soft veggie, like raw zucchini, yellow squash, or even cooked veggies, like yams or broccoli stems. I actually found this quite by accident. I over-steamed some zucchini and I couldn’t see eating them like that. So I “frittered them.” I liked them even more, the zucchini had been flavored with butter, mint, and sherry—so the resultant fritters had a lovely terroir.

INGREDIENTS: Substitute yams or yellow squash

• zucchini – 2-1/2 LBS, or yellow squash, grated
• salt – 1 tsp
• eggs – 2
• feta cheese – 2/3 cup, grated, [or grated pecorino romano or parmesan]
• bread crumbs, dry – 2/3 cup unseasoned, [or Panko]
• flour- 1/3 cup
• scallions – 2 cups, [1 bunch], minced
• garlic, fresh – 2 tsp, minced
• parsley, fresh – 1/2 cup chopped
• mint, fresh – 3 TBS chopped [or 1-1/2 TBS fresh marjoram]
• salt – 1/2 tsp
• baking soda – 1/4 tsp, [promotes browning]
• pepper – 1/8 tsp
• sherry – dry, 2 TBS [optional]
• vegetable oil – 2 TBS or more to fry fritters

INSTRUCTIONS: If using cooked veggies, finely mince and skip salting step below

1. Grate squash and place in a colander then toss with one tsp salt and allow salt to release liquid for 30 minutes. Do not rinse
2. Place the zucchini in a kitchen towel and gather all the corners to seal in the zucchini. Twist the toweling to wring out as much liquid as you can
3. Make the batter by combining the eggs, bread crumbs, flour, scallions, garlic, parsley, mint, salt, baking soda, pepper, cheese and sherry [if using]—[don’t add zucchini until just before frying]
4. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees while heating a large skillet under medium heat
5. Add the oil to the skillet and when just beginning to smoke, fill a 1/4 cup measure and pour batter into skillet, press out to about a half-inch with the bottom of the measuring cup. Add more fritters, but cook in two batches so as not to crowd the skillet
6. When golden flip and repeat; 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Be sure they are deeply brown
7. Place in covered plate in oven and continue with remaining batter
8. Serve warm

Twice-cooked zucchini fritters [I over-steamed them so they went into the fritter batter]

Be sure to leave untouched while sautéing for at least 3 minutes to form a crust. Left:

Served with roasted salmon, cauliflower pickle, and brown rice; Right: served with shells in marinara and sweet/sour meatballs

I love to serve with apple sauce or sour cream. Here are some purple yam and sweet potato versions

Purple yams

2022-2024 Recipes by B. Hettig