When sun rays warm the earth and delicate yellow flowers start to give birth to zucchinis in all colors, shapes, and sizes, the recipe for these fritters serves me as a real ace up my sleeve.
In Greece, they are originally known as kolokithokeftedes, a strange word that entangles our tongue, but its meaning is pretty simple and straightforward. “Kolokitho” is a Greek word for zucchini, and “keftedes” means simply fritters, meatballs, or patties.
So literally, zucchini fritters!
Luckily, preparing this vegetarian recipe is easier than pronouncing it, and for it, you will need zucchini, feta cheese, some eggs, fresh mint and parsley, red onion, some spices, and a bit of flour that will help to connect all the ingredients.
These Greek zucchini and feta fritters can be served in different ways, for example with a bowl of your favorite salad or maybe even in a burger instead of a meat patty, but my favorite way of serving it is alongside tzatziki.
Tzatziki – Light Summer Spread
Tzatziki is a term that is not so unknown in my country and can be found in supermarkets, but honestly, I was never particularly delighted with these store-bought versions.
They are usually too sour and watery and the freshness of the cucumber is completely lost. We can define tzatziki as a cold sauce, spread, or dip that consists of thick, creamy yogurt, fresh cucumber, garlic, dill or parsley, and lemon juice or white wine vinegar.
It can be made thicker or thinner, depending on how you prefer it, and besides as a spread for these fritters, I think tzatziki will work great as a spread for sandwiches or homemade burgers, served with koftas, as a dip for tortilla chips or even as a dressing for rich summer salad!
How to Make Zucchini Fritters Extra Crispy
While preparing these fritters, I figured out a few tricks that will help them to be extra crispy. I mean, who likes soggy patties, right?
- The olive oil should be well heated before putting the first fritter inside. If it’s lukewarm, it will absorb too much oil and become soggy.
- Don’t overfill the pan while frying. Give them some space.
- After you grate the zucchini, sprinkle them with salt. This will extract the moisture from zucchinis. We definitely don’t want the mixture to become too watery. Oh, and don’t forget to squeeze the hell out of them.
- When you’ve prepared the mixture for fritters, start frying ASAP. The longer the mixture stands on your counter, the more watery it will become, because of the salt.
- After frying, if you want them to stay crispy, arrange them in one layer on a plate lined with a kitchen towel. If you want them to be on the softer side, stack them like pancakes.
Kalí̱ órexi̱, or, enjoy your meal!
FAQ
Of course! Patty squash and green or yellow zucchini can all be used to make these fritters. If you want to use bigger zucchini that have visible seeds, remove them before grating.
Yes, you can use all-purpose flour.
Store it in a well-sealed glass or plastic container for up to 3-4 days.
Yes, tzatziki can be made in advance a few hours or even a day before serving.
Looking for more summer recipes?
-
No-Churn Bourbon Vanilla Ice Cream
-
Homemade Chunky Guacamole Recipe
-
Cranachan Recipe – Easy Scottish Dessert
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Greek Zucchini Fritters with Tzatziki Spread
Ingredients
Fritters ingredients:
- 2 zucchini (around 200 g after draining from excess water)
- 150 g feta cheese
- ½ red onion
- 2-3 tbsp mint fresh, finely chopped)
- 2-3 tbsp parsley fresh, finely chopped)
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ tsp sea salt
- 2 pinches of nutmeg
- 2 pinches of ground pepper
- 70 g corn flour (white or yellow)
- extra virgin olive oil (for frying)
Tzatziki ingredients:
- 300 g Greek style yogurt
- ½ big English cucumber
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- 1,5 tbsp dill (fresh, finely chopped)
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- sea salt
- ground pepper
Video
Instructions
Fritters preparation:
- Take a big bowl and spread a clean dish towel over it.
- Wash and dry zucchini and grate them onto the towel in the bowl. Season with salt so they could release excess water, stir and let stand for about 15 minutes. Then wrap it in a towel and squeeze as much water as possible. You should be left with about 200 g of drained zucchini.
- Discard the excess liquid, return the zucchini to a bowl and start adding other ingredients. Crumble the feta cheese and add it to a bowl along with eggs, freshly chopped herbs, onions, and spices. Mix well to combine everything and then add flour and stir once more.
- Heat a nonstick pan to medium heat and add oil. Take up a heaped tablespoon of mixture and carefully add it to the pan. Lightly press on the fritters so they can spread a bit. Fry them on both sides until they become golden and crispy.
- Take them out on a plate covered with a kitchen towel that will soak up excess oil.
- Serve with tzatziki and enjoy!
Tzatziki preparation:
- Wash and dry the cucumber and grate it in a large bowl over a clean kitchen towel. Sprinkle with some salt, give it some stir and let it drain for about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, peel and crush the garlic and mix it with finely chopped fresh dill, Greek-style yogurt, olive oil, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
- When the cucumber started to release a lot of water, wrap it in a kitchen cloth and squeeze the hell out of it. Drain as much moisture as possible. Add to the rest of the ingredients and stir once more.
- Put it in the fridge until ready to be served.
Nutrition
Nutritional information provided is an estimate based on ingredients data and should be used for informational purposes only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on factors such as portion size, preparation methods and ingredients used.
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