Zucchini Fritters

This is my new favorite side dish. It's comfort food that's warm and filling. More pancake than eating a plain vegetable.

I'm going to share the link where I got the original recipe, and then some tweaks that I used.

The link for the recipe I used is from Natasha's Kitchen. She in turn got it passed from three other people. This is one of those recipes that's easy to adjust to suit your family's tastes.

I like this recipe a lot. I think it could use a lot more seasoning than it calls for. We felt the original recipe was lacking in salt and pepper.

This is the modified recipe I use.

• 2 lb zucchini
• 1 tsp (for sweating zucchini) plus 1 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

1. Wash, trim, and peel zucchini. Grate zucchini. Place zucchini in a large mixing bowl, stir in 1 tsp salt and set aside for 10 minutes. The salt helps the zucchini draw out its moisture.
2. After zucchini has rested for 10 minutes, squeeze handfuls of grated zucchini tightly over colander to remove extra water. This part is important. After I squeezed the zucchini, I let it sit in the colander to continue draining. The drier the zucchini, the more evenly it will cook (and less splatter).
3. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
4. Add 3/4 cup chopped green onion and 2 lightly beaten eggs.
5. In a separate bowl, stir together 1 cup flour with 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper. Add flour mix (dry ingredients) into zucchini mixture and stir until well combined.
6. Place a large heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to cover. Once the oil is hot, add the zucchini batter a heaping tablespoon at a time and flatten out the tops slightly to make them into patties. Fry 3-5 minutes per side or until golden brown. 

Now for the variations:
There is so much you can do with the basic recipe.

• For a spicy flavor, you can add, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, or cayenne powder. 
• To give it an Italian flavor palette, add oregano, basil, or thyme.

Other ingredients:

• Add thinly sliced jalapenos (seeded)
• Add 1/4 cup of  grated Parmesan cheese
• Try 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarrella
• 6 tsps of ranch style dip mix

Toppings:

• Use sour cream, yogurt, spaghetti sauce, or dill sauce as a topping.

Modify the basic fritter recipe to complement your main dish.

I fell in love with this side dish. It was so satisfying, plus it's an easy way to use up squash. They also freeze extremely well. I fry them to almost done, then pull them out, laying them on a baking sheet in a single layer. I put the baking sheet in the freezer to flash freeze the individual patties. Once they're frozen hard I put them in serving size zip lock bags. This way I only pull out what I need for that night's meal.

I haven't tried it yet, but you can also use spaghetti squash. Cook it first. Scoop out the seeds, then fork-shred the squash into a bowl. Use the recipe above and replace the zucchini with the cooked spaghetti squash.

Have you ever tried fritters? Do you make them yourself?

Shopping at Amazon? Start Here.