Herbed Zucchini Feta Fritters

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"When I was a kid, my mom fried zucchini fritters when I got home from school; I would steal a couple while they were still hot," says Didem Senol. "My grandmother fried them, too; she'd make the patties thin and dense. When I started cooking, I decided to work on my childhood recipe. I added herbs and feta and reduced the amount of flour to make them fluffier." The fritters are terrific on their own or dipped into the yogurt-cucumber sauce.More Recipes for Fried Foods

Herbed Zucchini-Feta Fritters
Photo: © Michael Turek
Total Time:
50 mins
Yield:
4 to 6 1-course servings

Ingredients

  • 4 medium zucchini (about 1 3/4 pounds), coarsely shredded

  • Kosher salt

  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1/4 cup chopped dill

  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley

  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped mint

  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

  • Freshly ground pepper

  • 1 medium cucumber—peeled, halved, seeded and coarsely chopped

  • 1 cup Greek-style plain yogurt

  • Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions

  1. Pile the shredded zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of salt. Toss the zucchini well and let stand for 5 minutes. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible and transfer the zucchini to a large bowl. Stir in the eggs, flour, dill, parsley, 1/4 cup of the mint and the feta. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and refrigerate the fritter batter for about 10 minutes.

  2. In a food processor, coarsely puree the chopped cucumber. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the yogurt and the remaining 2 tablespoons of mint and season with salt and pepper.

  3. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a medium saucepan, heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil to 350°. Set a paper towel-covered baking sheet near the stove. Working in batches, drop rounded tablespoons of the fritter batter into the hot oil and fry, turning the fritters a few times, until browned and crisp, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fritters to the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining fritter batter. Discard the paper towels and reheat the fritters in the oven for about 3 minutes. Serve the zucchini fritters hot with the cucumber-yogurt sauce.

Make Ahead

The cucumber-yogurt sauce can be refrigerated overnight. Serve the sauce lightly chilled.

Suggested Pairing

Sparkling wine goes exceptionally well with salty fried foods like these fritters. Look for the herbal NV Domaine de la Taille Aux Loups Triple Zéro, made in the Loire, or the fruity NV Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut Cava from Spain.

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