Soups & Starters
Vegetarian & Vegan
Courgette fritters
Lovely for a party, delicious for lunch...
This is a recipe that I made for party recently, and I liked the fritters so much that I’ve made them several times since to serve for friends for for lunch, with just a vinaigrette-dressed salad. It’s based on a Nigella Lawson recipe, but I’ve changed it a little (as I always seem to!).
I normally avoid making anything that needs last-minute frying when I have people eating here, but the great thing about these fritters is that they taste best when they’re just above room temperature, which means they can be made just before your guests just arrive.
There are a few key things to remember. The first is to get the oil really hot before you fry the fritters so that they set on the underside quickly, then you can turn the heat down to finish cooking them. Check they are really golden underneath before you try to turn them - do it too soon, and they will break up. And cook the fritters in batches, only half filling your pan with them each time - if you overcrowd them, the temperature of the oil will drop very quickly and the fritters will stew rather than crisply frying.
Ingredients
Serves 15
- 4 courgettes
- 200g feta (or vegetarian equivalent), cut into small cubes
- 5 spring onions, finely sliced
- handful fresh mint, chopped
- handful fresh parsley, chopped
- handful fresh coriander, chopped
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp sumac
- 150g plain flour
- 50g Parmesan (or vegetarian equivalent)
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 2 limes, quartered
Method
First, grate the courgettes (using either the grating blade in a food processor, or by hand), then spread out on a tea towel and cover with another tea towel. Leave to one side for about half an hour, to dry out a little.
Mix the cubed feta and the spring onions with the herbs, paprika and sumac. Stir in the flour and Parmesan and season really well with salt and pepper (use more seasoning than you normally would as this will bring out the flavour of the courgettes in the cooked fritters).
Mix in the eggs and then the courgettes. You should now have a fairly runny batter. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan until very hot, then add spoonfuls of the mixture until the pan is about half full. Press each mound down with a fork to flatten it into a patty shape. Turn down the heat to medium and cook for 4 minutes. Gently lift one fritter - it should be a deep golden brown on the underside but if it's not, leave for another minute.
Turn over each fritter with a spatula and cook for another 4 mins. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
Serve with the lime wedges to squeeze over.
A Cook's Plot Tip
A little lime juice squeezed over the fritters just before they're eaten really makes a difference, so don't be tempted to treat the limes as optional!