06 Sep Zucchini fritters 2 ways

I love zucchini! I make zoodles (zucchini noodles instead of pasta), I make zucchini omelets, zucchini muffins, I grill it, saute it or roast it in the oven. I’ve made zucchini fritters in the past but for some reason, in my mind, I remembered it being long and complicated. Recently, I’ve been seeing pictures of fritters on Instagram or in food magazines and I’ve been craving them. This week, I received some zucchinis in my organic baskets, so I decided, I’m making them! It’s so much easier than I thought! I actually made them a few times this week because I wanted to come up with the best version without compromising the healthiness of the dish. There are so many versions out there and I’m sure they’re all delicious. Here are 2 of my favorites:

Ingredients  (makes 8-10 fritters)

Version #1

• 2 medium to large zucchinis, grated
• 2-4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup almond flour
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 6 sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1 tbsp.) (can add mint, basil or oregano)
• Salt and pepper
• Avocado oil for frying (or other oil)

Version #2

• 2 medium to large zucchinis, grated
• 1/3 cup chopped red onion
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp. red curry paste (I like Thai kitchen)
• 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup chickpea flour
• ½ cup unsweetened coconut
• 2-3 tbsp. chopped fresh mint
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Version #1

• Place the grated zucchini in a colander on top of a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 15-20 minutes so that the zucchini releases its water.
• Place the drained grated zucchini in a clean dish towel and squeeze out the water as much as you can (on top of the sink).
• Once the zucchini is dried (it will still be humid, that’s normal), place in a bowl and add the other ingredients.
• Mix well.
• On the stove top, heat a pan on medium high heat and drizzle with avocado oil (1-2 tbsp. depending on size of pan).
• Once the oil is hot, pour dollops (about 2-3 tbsp. each) of the mixture without having them touch each other (I could fit 4 at a time in my pan but just make sure they don’t touch).
• With a spoon, form nice round shapes and flatten slightly so that you get the thickness of a pancake.
• Let cook a few minutes on one side (2-3 minutes) and with a spatula, turn over and cook a few minutes on the other side.
• Repeat until you use up all of the zucchini mixture.
• Serve hot or warm.

Version #2

• Follow same instructions as version #1 except for the eggs, curry paste, and apple cider vinegar which will have to be mixed together well in a small bowl beforehand using a whisk so that there are no lumps of curry paste.
• Mix egg mixture into the rest of the ingredients and follow same steps as above in order to fry the fritters.