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Zucchini fritters (Κολοκυθοκεφτέδες)
Zucchini fritters full of herb and feta!
Ever wonder what summer tastes like? You might think it’s cool like ice cream, or bursting with citrus zing, but we’re pretty sure that if you could sample the essence of summer on your tongue it would taste like zucchini. Seriously!
Every summer, for as long as we can remember, in our parents’ garden there is a special section devoted for zucchini and other squash. In their current home, where they have been for several years, they actually have what we refer to as an annex to their garden. The back fence bordering their tomatoes and peppers and spinach has been jimmied so that it opens up just wide enough for someone (our dad) to squeeze through. On the other side, at a width of several feet, our parents plant their squash. Here they grow pumpkins, butternut squash, zucchini and all sorts of other colourful and bizarre looking gourds, free and uninhibited; the only other things you will find here are some grape leaf vines and wild flowers. Talk about a secret garden!
So much squash requires many squash recipes. Although we love baked pumpkin fritters, stuffed zucchini and baked vegetable dishes which incorporate this bounty, one of our favourite recipes are these zucchini fritters. Small, fried or baked and made of not much more than zucchini, fresh herbs and feta, these fritters are as addictive as they are easy.
Helpful hints
Zucchini are very watery vegetables! For this reason, you need to let them drain for at least 30 minutes after you shred them. However, draining is not enough. To remove as much water as possible you have to squeeze it out. The easiest way to do this is to use a cheesecloth or clean kitchen towel. At the very least you need to squeeze the zucchini with your hands. If you do not remove enough of the water from your zucchini you will need to use too much flour when preparing your fritters, just to have them hold together.
Should I fry or bake my zucchini fritters?
This recipe asks that you first fry and then bake your fritters. The first step provides a nice crispy exterior, and finishing them off in the oven keeps them from getting greasy. If you prefer, you could cook them entirely in the oven (if you do, increase the cooking time by about 5 – 10 minutes) but life is short, so we think you should fry a little.
What is the best way to serve these fritters?
Zucchini fritters are great served with tzatziki, but they are also lovely with eggplant dip, or served alongside a fresh salad.
Looking for some more zucchini recipes? How about these!
Double chocolate zucchini cake
We love hearing from you! If you have made our recipes, or if you have a question or comment, or simply want to say Hi!, please leave a comment and star rating below! Also be sure to follow along with us, on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. We have lots of fun over there.
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Zucchini fritters
Zucchini fritters full of herb and feta!
Servings: 14 pieces
Equipment
- Box grater or other cheese grater
- Colander
- Cheesecloth
- Frying pan
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded zucchini, unpeeled
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1/4 cup crumbled Greek feta
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
- 2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh chives
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 tbsp olive oil, for frying
Instructions
- Place your shredded zucchini in a colander and sprinkle the salt over it, tossing well to evenly distribute the salt. Allow the zucchini to drain for at least 30 minutes, and longer if possible.
- After it has drained, place your zucchini in a cheesecloth or clean kitchen towel and squeeze out all excess water. Alternatively, you can squeeze the water out using your hands, but it is much more difficult to remove all the water this way.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.
- In a large bowl, stir together all of the ingredients, except the vegetable and olive oils meant for frying.
- When the zucchini fritter mixture is well combined, place the cooking oils into a frying pan set over medium high heat.
- When the oil is hot, use a tablespoon to drop the zucchini fritter mixture into the pan, being careful not to over crowd the pan. Cook for 3 – 4 minutes, until golden brown and then carefully flip each fritter over and cook for another 3 – 4 minutes. Transfer the fritters to a parchment lined baking sheet. When your baking sheet is filled, bake in the middle rack of your oven for 25 – 30 minutes.
- Alternatively, you can choose not to fry your zucchini fritters at all. Simply place them on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in the middle rack of your oven for about 40 – 45 minutes. You can flip them over midway through the cooking time, although this is not necessary.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
- Enjoy!
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14 responses to “Zucchini fritters (Κολοκυθοκεφτέδες)”
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Phenomenal. My mom makes wonderful zucchini pancakes. Your garden is beautiful
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Thank you so much! Our parents’ garden really is their pride and joy. A lot of work, but a lot of reward! Zucchini pancakes sound pretty phenomenal!
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I just made some. 😉
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Yeah! And….we hope you loved them 🙂
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Yep. They are really good.
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🙂 🙂 🙂
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[…] just can’t get enough of this summer squash staple, whether we are turning them into chips, fritters or mixing them with other summer vegetables to make a quick meal. In this recipe, we use both […]
[…] other recipes where zucchini is grated and must be drained to remove all excess water, in this recipe you […]
I really don’t care for zucchini and am always looking for recipes to make them edible. This one is the best! The fritters were crisp and tasty. Frying for only a few minutes then baking them is the way to go~
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Thanks so much for taking the time to tell us that you enjoyed our recipe for the zucchini fritters!! We are so happy that you have now found a way to enjoy these sometimes bland veggies. If you’re interested, type in “zucchini” in the search bar of our website….we’ve got many zucchini recipes posted. Maybe you’ll find more to love 🙂 xoxo Helen & Billie
Hello! I’ll be making these for a dinner party tomorrow night. Do you think I can fry them in the afternoon and bake to reheat later?
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Hi Maria. So happy you’ll be using our recipe. As our recipe states, you can either fry the fritters to get the crispy and then finish in the oven, or alternatively bake them completely (with no frying). Whichever method you choose, we suggest you cook them completely in the afternoon. To reheat them for your guests you can either pop them into the oven for a bit until they get heated through, or heat them on a non-stick frying pan (with no oil added). The oven is definitely an easier option. We hope that you and your guests enjoy them! Let us know!! xoxo Helen & Billie
I make these with added chopped flowers. Much as I love stuffed zucchini/courgette flowers, they are a lot of effort, so (as they are available daily, plentiful, even from just a few plants) chopping them up and adding to the fritter mix makes the fritters more colourful and adds a new dimension to the taste.
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That’s a great idea! Love not letting the delicate and delicious zucchini flowers go to waste. Thanks for commenting 🙂 xoxo Helen & Billie
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