"What about zucchini fritters?" my mom asked. I had been lamenting the over-abundance of zucchini this time of year when two-thirds of household aren't fans of the stuff sautéed, grilled, shaved into ribbons or chopped into sticks. I, for the record, am the one-third that loves it. Immediately, I shot down the idea. I'd tried fritters a dozen or so times before, and each one was let-down. When they were easy, they were lame. When they were delicious, they took a massive amount of work that far outweighed their generally-understood ranking as a starter or vegetable side. Later, upon harvesting another two massive zucchini and a trio of yellow squash, I decided to reconsider.
If what I didn't like about good zucchini fritters was fussiness, and what I did like was crispiness and a hearty nature that would lead a stack of them to doubling as a vegetarian main, then I had to figure out a recipe that delivered what I needed and cut out what I didn't.
As with many meals, I started with a few base recipes. I looked around online, flipped through cookbooks, and narrowed down a core ingredient list. From there, I started making things up. It's a really professional process called "by-the-seat-of-ones-pants," and it's a my primary way of cooking. Improvising successfully does require a foundational understanding of processes and ingredients, but once you build those muscles you get to have a lot of fun in the kitchen with only periodic implosions (spring sorrel sauce recipe failure, I'm looking at you).
What I ended up with wasn't just delicious — it was simple. One bowl, just a few steps, and fritters that tasted as good reheated the next day as they did out of the pan. It was, in short, a win.
Zucchini Fritters (10-12)
- 1lb zucchini and summer squash (whatever kinds you have)
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup scallions, chopped
- 1 tbsp mint, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp salt
- 1.5 cups plain breadcrumbs (not panko)
- 2 tbsp flour
- Shred zucchini and squash into a large bowl lined with a dish towel using a box grater. Use the towel to wring as much water out of the zucchini as possible, dump the water, then return it to the bowl.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Salt and pepper to taste. When fully mixed, it should hold together loosely.
- Heat a high heat oil, 1/4" deep, like avocado or peanut oil, in a large cast iron pan. When hot, scoop 1/4 cup 'balls' of the zucchini mix into the pan and smoosh down to 1/4-1/2 inches thick.
- Fry till golden on both sides. Removed to a rack, or a plate lined with a paper towel.
- Serve with sliced scallions, mint chiffonade (long skinny strips), a wedge of lemon, and a garlic yogurt made from an unscientific combination of your preferred plain yogurt, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.
One bowl. One pan. Absolutely delicious.
