Crispy Zucchini-Feta Fritters
Friends! I am once again revived and inspired to get back into the kitchen. At least I was yesterday. Strangely enough, it was a zucchini that motivated me. Or several.
I know, I only used up one of my eggs. I hard-boiled a bunch, and froze some, and now I think I may have left the hard-boiled ones too long with nary an egg salad sandwich. How do you tell when a hard-boiled egg is bad? I have no idea.
But I do know now that I think I like these zucchini fritters, studded with bits of salty, oozy feta, better than potato latkes even. They’re crispy on the outside, soft in the middle, and a great use of raw zucchini, which you’ll be grating to make chocolate cake anyway, right? (Note: if you happen to have one of those two foot long zucchinis to tackle, once you cut into it you’re committed. But good news: you can freeze raw grated zucchini to add to muffins, cakes, loaves, pancakes, soup – you name it.)
I had tossed the subject of zucchini out there on twitter, and Sarah suggested fritters made with cheddar. I had feta, which seemed appropriately Greek-y, and so I followed a little trail, from Smitten Kitchen to Simply Recipes to Martha, and then just sort of winged it.
If you like, grate a clove of garlic into a cup of sour cream, add a few drops of lemon juice, salt and pepper, and serve to dip or dollop over the fritters. Uh huh.
Crispy Zucchini-Feta Fritters
1 large-ish or 2 medium-small zucchini
1 tsp. coarse salt
1/3-1/2 cup crumbled feta
1 large egg
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
Freshly ground pepper
Olive or canola oil, for cookingPlace a couple sheets of paper towel on a cutting board or work surface, and grate your zucchini onto it using the coarse side (the big holes) of a box grater. Sprinkle with salt and let sit a few minutes. Place another paper towel on top, gather up the zucchini inside the towels and wring out as much liquid as you can – if you like, squeeze it into a bowl and use the liquid in soup or pasta. (It will be salty.)
Transfer the shredded zucchini to a bowl, add the feta, then stir in the egg and some freshly ground black pepper, tossing to combine it all. In a small bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder, then stir it into the zucchini mixture.
In a large, heavy skillet, heat a generous drizzle of oil over medium-high heat. Drop the batter in large spoonfuls, then flatten with the spoon until they are 2-3″ in diameter. Cook for a few minutes, until the bottoms are golden, then flip and cook for another couple minutes on the other side. If they are browning too quickly, turn the heat down a bit. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel. If you like, keep them warm in a 250F oven while you cook the rest. Serve immediately, while still warm. Makes about a dozen fritters.
September 12 2012 08:05 pm | appetizers and veg and vegetarian
Jan @ Family Bites on 12 Sep 2012 at 8:14 pm #
Feta is one of my favourite foods, and I think it’s brilliant (of course!) that you used it here. I’m glad you’re finding your way back into the kitchen.
sarah on 12 Sep 2012 at 8:43 pm #
So glad I could offer some inspiration! I’m excited to try your version with feta. Because we do have a bunch of our freakishly large garden zucchini to work through!
Janice on 12 Sep 2012 at 9:47 pm #
Julie,
What would you guess is the amount of zucchini you’re talking about – 2 cups maybe? I have a huge zucchini that I’m guessing might be more than what you’re calling for here. I think this recipe sounds great but I’m not sure how much zucchini I need. Thanks!
Kristin on 12 Sep 2012 at 9:48 pm #
mmm…those look so good. I wish I had one of those neighbors you’re always hearing about who leave zucchini on your doorstep. I never seem to have enough!
samijoe on 12 Sep 2012 at 10:18 pm #
Yummy!
Lisa on 12 Sep 2012 at 11:58 pm #
Yay! (you creating)
I think zucchini and feta is a natural combination…good choice! I’ll have to try an egg-free version of these. And also guten-free since my hubby is trying that out. Wish me luck.
Sandy B on 13 Sep 2012 at 7:22 am #
These sound divine! I’ll have to try them for sure.
Mitch on 13 Sep 2012 at 8:12 am #
These look delicious!
I think I will try them with tzatziki vs the sour cream.
nomonomnom
Jennifer Jo on 13 Sep 2012 at 10:37 am #
Hard-boiled eggs, still in the shell, will last a lot longer than you think.
molly on 13 Sep 2012 at 3:35 pm #
oh, how i ADORE zucchini-feta fritters!
and not one of my littles will touch them. arg. tell me william wouldn’t eat them. please. to make me feel better?
Rebecca on 14 Sep 2012 at 2:40 pm #
After reading about these fritters, I was again reminded how much I love the baked version that I adapted from Chatelaine. Am VERY excited to try them with feta – seems like such an obvious choice that I’m bummed that I didn’t think of it earlier!
Chrisanthi on 15 Sep 2012 at 11:13 am #
We Greeks also add onions, and fresh mint, fresh parsley and fresh dill into the batter!
JulieVR on 15 Sep 2012 at 8:48 pm #
Chrisanthi – good to know! I have fresh mint in the garden, even! Will try that next time!
JulieVR on 15 Sep 2012 at 8:48 pm #
Rebecca – Oooh baked – great idea! Do they get dark and crispy?
JulieVR on 15 Sep 2012 at 8:49 pm #
Molly – I wouldn’t know.. they were long gone by the time he got home from school.
But I doubt he would have eaten them voluntarily. He would have looked at them suspiciously and said “no thank you”…
JulieVR on 15 Sep 2012 at 8:50 pm #
I think you’re right. I keep cracking open hard boiled eggs now, and wondering if I’ve left them too long! At least Lou is happy…
JulieVR on 15 Sep 2012 at 8:50 pm #
Janice – Sorry for the slow reply – I’d say 2-3 cups grated zucchini?
Zummus (Zucchini Hummus) - Dinner with Julie — Dinner with Julie Dinner with JulieZummus (Zucchini Hummus) » Dinner with Julie on 15 Sep 2012 at 9:11 pm #
[...] teaching a class last week, and the conversation turned to zucchini. (This was the night before the fritters.) One of the two guys in the class offered up the suggestion of zucchini hummus. Yes, you can put [...]
Jacqueline on 17 Sep 2012 at 4:30 pm #
Made these tonight for dinner (am currently devouring) and they are just fantastic! I love your blog, Julie. Anytime I need some inspiration, it’s the first place I go!
Kim from 4virtu on 18 Sep 2012 at 2:04 pm #
YUM! This recipe left me drooling & we added it to our Tasty Tuesday Welcome Fall recipe list! Looking forward to exploring your site!
Ashley on 18 Sep 2012 at 7:46 pm #
I have some local raw goat cheese (regular and pesto) that we bought from the farmer’s market. Do you think I could substitute for the feta?