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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

AuthorJulie

Yields1 Serving

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 cooking

1

Place 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.)

2

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.

3

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.

Ingredients

 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 cooking

Directions

1

Place 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.)

2

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.

3

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.

Crispy Zucchini-Feta Fritters
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24 comments on “Crispy Zucchini-Feta Fritters

  1. Jan @ Family Bites
    September 12, 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. 🙂

  2. sarah
    September 12, 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!

  3. Janice
    September 12, 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!

    • JulieVR
      September 15, 2012 at 8:50 pm

      Janice – Sorry for the slow reply – I’d say 2-3 cups grated zucchini?

  4. Kristin
    September 12, 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! 🙂

  5. samijoe
    September 12, 2012 at 10:18 pm

    Yummy!

  6. Lisa
    September 12, 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.

  7. Sandy B
    September 13, 2012 at 7:22 am

    These sound divine! I’ll have to try them for sure.

  8. Mitch
    September 13, 2012 at 8:12 am

    These look delicious!
    I think I will try them with tzatziki vs the sour cream.

    nomonomnom

  9. Jennifer Jo
    September 13, 2012 at 10:37 am

    Hard-boiled eggs, still in the shell, will last a lot longer than you think.

    • JulieVR
      September 15, 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…

  10. molly
    September 13, 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?

    • JulieVR
      September 15, 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”…

  11. Rebecca
    September 14, 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!

    • JulieVR
      September 15, 2012 at 8:48 pm

      Rebecca – Oooh baked – great idea! Do they get dark and crispy?

  12. Chrisanthi
    September 15, 2012 at 11:13 am

    We Greeks also add onions, and fresh mint, fresh parsley and fresh dill into the batter!

    • JulieVR
      September 15, 2012 at 8:48 pm

      Chrisanthi – good to know! I have fresh mint in the garden, even! Will try that next time!

  13. Jacqueline
    September 17, 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!

  14. Kim from 4virtu
    September 18, 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!

  15. Ashley
    September 18, 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?

  16. Marci
    July 19, 2018 at 9:08 am

    These look delicious, I’m suddenly surrounded by zucchini and was looking for something different, you know, like not a “zoodle” recipe or the good ole zucchini loaf etc. Not that they’re not good but…..I’m salivating just thinking about making these. In fact, I have feta needing to be used up right now…heading to the fridge….

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