These simple zucchini fritters are from an Edible Mosaic cookbook.
Every few months for one night, I get in bed and absolutely, positively, cannot for the life of me, fall asleep. I guess some call that insomnia.
I toss and turn, watch the clock get later and later while doing mental math of how many less minutes/hours of sleep I’ll be getting if I fall asleep that very minute and proceed to stress myself out even more as the result of that equation dwindles. My mind races with tomorrow’s to-do list, the stuff that isn’t written down anywhere that still needs to get done (and which I’ll probably therefore end up forgetting) and as the case with this last bout the other night, zucchini fritters.
I lost sleep over zucchini fritters.
This is my life.
Well, that and how in the heck I’m going to accomplish that strict pull-up goal I so boldly put in writing right before attempting to fall asleep. And/or upping my strict press PR by 7 pounds when just 2 seems like a herculean effort.
Important stuff, clearly.
So, I’m participating in this virtual dinner party to celebrate the début of Faith’s cookbook that a few of us have received advanced copies of and these zucchini fritters are the chosen appetizer (you’ll get to see an entrée and a dessert coming up in the next 2 weeks too).
You wondering why the heck that would cause sleep loss? Yeah, me too now that I’m fully rested and realize the ridiculousness of it all.
But in my sleep deprived 1am state, the ingredient list haunted me.
You see that picture up there? Minus the oil for frying, that’s pretty much all the recipe calls for. No spices, no additional flavoring, nada. And truth is, I was skeptical.
Faith, I’m sorry.
Never judge a book by it’s cover, never judge a recipe by it’s ingredient list (I know I sure as heck get pissed when people rank my recipes using that little star thingy 5 minutes after it’s posted knowing full well they haven’t made it yet).
I ate them in all their deliciously eggy-zucchini glory for lunch by myself. They’re like part pancake, part hash brown, part frittata. Definitely different than your typical fritter, but a surprisingly fun texture and taste.
I halved the recipe and used whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose only because in the horn-toothed beetle infestation of 2012, I forgot I threw out all my regular flour.
I also made a kick-ass (if I do say so myself) tahini-yogurt sauce to go with these that I highly recommend. Basically, greek yogurt, lemon juice, tahini, evoo, salt and pepper, parsley, cumin…mix. There will most likely be leftovers of that which is equally delicious mixed into chicken salad the next day in place of mayo, fyi.
I’d like those 3 hours of lost sleep back now.
Try these baked chicken spinach fritters or these eggy corn fritters for more easy fritter fare.
Zucchini Fritters
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3/4 lb 350 g zucchini (about 1 medium), grated
- 2 large cloves garlic, crushed in a mortar and pestle with 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose ?our
- 1/2 bunch fresh parsley, minced
- Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
- Canola oil, for frying
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat; add the onion and cook until it starts to soften, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the zucchini and cook until softened and the water has evaporated, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally; add the garlic and cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly. Cool slightly.
- Lightly beat together the eggs, ?our, parsley, and black pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in the zucchini mixture.
- Add enough canola oil to a large nonstick skillet to lightly coat the bottom; heat the oil over medium heat.
- Drop the batter into the hot pan using a small (about 2 tablespoon) or large (about 4 tablespoon) scoop. Fry until set and golden on one side, about 2 minutes; flip and cook until set and golden on the other side, about 1 minute.
- Transfer the cooked fritters to a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil, and cook the remaining egg mixture the same way, adding more oil to the skillet as necessary.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
It’s funny you say the rating thing because I always wonder the same thing and get worried that people are going to be offended that I didn’t give them a rating. Also ironic that I did NOT sleep last night. Bed at 11:30 woke up at 3:30am and somehow I managed through the day almost better?? How does this happen? Nonetheless I think you just re-hatched my zucchini fritter addiction. And I thought I was sick of them after summer- thanks for the reminder :)
Oh yeah. I have been LIVING off zucchini pancakes for months now. Slightly different recipe but aren’t they the best??
I lose sleep when I can’t get a recipe idea out of my head. I thought I was just wierd, it’s so nice to know I’m not the only one.
I like an eggy fritter, zucchini being my fave, with apple in second. Love the yogurt sauce too!
I’ve been looking for a good zucchini fritter recipe so this is perfect. I love zucchini but whenever I buy it, I forget I did and it goes bad. Fail.
I just read this book called Dreamland that talks all about sleep and insomnia and sleep walking and all that fun stuff. Very Very interesting. Anywho. I think this recipe SOUNDS like 5 stars. Not going to click the thing though!! LOL. I want to stay friends. ;-)
Lol, I’m glad you ended up liking them, Gina! That sauce you made for topping does sound killer!
LOVE zucchini fritters! I made a vegan version a few weeks ago – check it out! https://peachypalate.com/2012/09/03/when-once-a-day-isnt-enough/
ps you brought the 12 year old out in me with frittatas. must try to focus so I don’t start talking about zucchini boobs in my post.
I implore you to call them zucchini boobs in your post! ;)
Love your zuke fritters! I made some a couple weeks ago with zuke + sweet potatoes but I baked them. Your crispiness level makes me dizzy with delight. They look PERFECT!
these look AWESOME.