Zucchini & bush basil fritters
There are many variants of the Mediterranean zucchini fritter. In Greece the traditional dish that prevails is Kolokithokeftedes and it’s Mücver in Turkey and Ejjeh koussa in Lebanon … and there’s a myriad of recipes online to try.I have tried many. At their core is a crispy fry-up of floured/breadcrumbed zucchini; bound with egg, plus often a cheese; that is flavoured with a few herbs, usually from a selection of fresh basil, mint, dill, parsley and/or coriander. And I find them invariably simple to prepare, and quite delicious. I have also have found you can make a tasty Australian variant, just using fresh bush basil herb, with its complex five spice flavour.
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Servings: 4
Ingredients
Base fritters-
- 2 medium zucchini coarsely grated
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 2-3 tbsp bush basil finely chopped
- sprinkle black pepper
- 1 egg
- ½ cup all-purpose or self-raising flour
- Olive oil to fry
Optional extras-
- ¼ cup grated parmesan or crumbled feta/goat cheese or diced haloumi
- 1 bunch shallots thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1-2 tsp native thyme chopped
For serving-
- Bush basil leaves
- Lemon wedges
- 1 cup Greek or garlic yoghurt
Instructions
- Coarsely grate the zucchini and toss with salt in a colander. Let it sit for 10 to 20 min then squeeze dry and transfer into a clean tea towel. Twist and squeeze hard to remove as much liquid as possible. Squeezing the zucchini dry is key as we want fritters that are crispy outside, and moist-but-not-soggy inside. And while we do not want the insides too dry, they can be moistened with a side of yoghurt … but there is no remedy if they cook-up with a soggy inside.Combine the dried shredded zucchini, chopped bush basil, egg and flour (and any other optional extras) in a bowl and stir until a thick batter forms.Heat a thin layer of oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture into the pan and flatten gently. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with pepper and remaining salt. Serve hot!
Notes
Cooked cooled fritters can be frozen, cryovaced and stored.Best used within 2-3 months as freezing breaks down the zucchini cell walls. Also the flavour will fade over time, so by 6 months they’ll likely have become mushy, watery and tasteless! To reheat, thaw them slowly in fridge overnight then crispen in oven (170°C) or pan fry.