Description
These Crispy Zucchini Fritters are a delicious and easy-to-make snack or side dish featuring grated zucchini, parmesan, and green onions, pan-fried to golden perfection with a soft, thick batter. Served warm with a dollop of yoghurt or sour cream, these fritters are perfect for a light meal or appetizer.
Ingredients
Scale
Zucchini Mix
- 500 g (1 lb) zucchini (about 2 medium, ~23cm/9″ long)
- 1 tsp salt
Batter
- 1 large egg
- 2 green onions, halved then finely sliced
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated (fresh or store bought)
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 cup (75 g) flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of pepper
Cooking
- 4 tbsp olive oil, separated
To Serve
- Yoghurt or sour cream
- More chopped green onions (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Grate Zucchini: Using a box grater, grate the zucchini on the diagonal to create long strands.
- Salt and Drain: Place the grated zucchini in a bowl, sprinkle with 1 tsp salt, and mix well. Leave it for at least 10 minutes to draw out excess moisture.
- Squeeze Excess Water: After resting, squeeze out the excess water from the zucchini using your hands or by wrapping it in a tea towel and pressing tightly. Return the drained zucchini to a bowl.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 200°F (100°C) and place a rack on a tray to keep the fritters warm and crispy while you cook the batches.
- Prepare Batter: Add the egg, finely sliced green onions, grated parmesan, and minced garlic to the zucchini. Mix to combine.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Scatter the flour, baking powder, and a pinch of pepper over the zucchini mixture (don’t dump all in one spot). Gently mix until just combined—the batter should be thick but soft.
- Heat Pan and Oil: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat (or medium heat if your stove runs hot).
- Form and Cook Fritters: Using a 1/4 cup measure or an ice cream scoop, drop 3 or 4 mounds of batter into the hot pan. Lightly flatten each mound with a spatula to about 1 cm (4/5″) thick.
- Fry First Side: Cook for 3 minutes until the underside is deeply golden. Adjust heat if the fritters are browning too quickly.
- Flip and Cook Other Side: Flip each fritter and cook the other side for an additional 3 minutes until golden and cooked through.
- Keep Warm: Transfer cooked fritters to the oven rack to keep warm and maintain crispiness.
- Repeat: Add more oil if needed and repeat frying with the remaining batter.
- Serve: Serve fritters immediately with a dollop of yoghurt or sour cream and garnish with extra chopped green onions, if desired.
Notes
- Grating zucchini on the diagonal creates longer strands, which contribute to the fritters’ texture.
- Resting grated zucchini with salt helps extract excess moisture to prevent soggy fritters.
- Squeezing out excess water is critical to achieving a crispy texture.
- Don’t overmix the batter once the flour is added to keep fritters tender.
- If you don’t want to keep fritters warm in the oven, serve them immediately after frying for best texture.
- You can substitute plain yogurt or sour cream with Greek yogurt for a creamier topping.
