Zucchini Fritters with Chilies & Salad Garnish provide a delightful and satisfying alternative to serving up vegetables. Their lovely texture, pleasant aroma and familiar pancake appearance make them a definite ‘comfort food’ dish either on their own or as a side dish. Crispy on the outside and tender in the middle, these nutritious Zucchini Fritters with Chilies & Salad Garnish are an effective way to get your kids to eat their green vegetables!
The Process
These healthy and low-calorie fritters are super easy to make. It will take you only 25-30 minutes from prep to table to have this dish ready. Grate zucchini, mix them with other ingredients and fry until golden-brown. Use neutral vegetable or canola oil.
Drain or not to drain liquid from shredded zucchini?
It depends. Younger zucchinis have higher moisture content compared to mature fruit (did you know zucchini is a fruit?).
Therefore, to avoid soggy fritters if using young zucchini, you might consider the following options:
- Squeeze the water from shredded zucchinis with your hands or using a dish towel or cheese cloth
- or add a little bit of extra flour
- or simply try to keep the watery batter at the bottom of the mixing bowl and eventually discard it. I prefer this option as it’s faster and less effort.
Serving
Pair Zucchini Fritters with a green salad or light-tasting meat dish like poultry, pork, or veal. Adorn with a dollop of sour cream, your favorite fresh leafy herbs or diced red chilies for some heat and a pop of flavor. You can also serve the fritters with plain yogurt, tzatziki or any sauce of your choice.
Some interesting facts about zucchini
– Zucchini shares parents with the watermelon.
– Zucchini is a fruit.
– Its flowers are edible.
– Bigger is not better. Harvesting the plant while immature prevents a too hard and too seedy plant from developing.
– 1 medium zucchini has more potassium than 1 medium banana.
– Zucchini is the only fruit that begins with “z”.
Need more healthy lunch recipes? Don’t miss these ones.
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Zucchini Fritters
Course: AppetizersDifficulty: Easy4
servings10
minutes20
minutes218
kcal30
minutes
Lovely texture, pleasant aroma and familiar pancake appearance make these Zucchini Fritters with Chilies & Salad Garnish a definite ‘comfort food’ dish either on their own or as a side dish.
Ingredients
- Zucchini Fritters
2 cup 2 2 medium zucchinis, shredded
2 2 eggs
1/2 cup 1/2 all purpose flour
1 tbsp 1 garlic, minced
1 tbsp 1 fresh chili pepper, diced
1/2 tsp 1/2 salt
1/4 tsp 1/4 freshly ground black pepper
2-3 tbsp 2-3 vegetable oil
1/2 cup 1/2 sour cream
- Salad
1 cup 1 radishes, sliced
1 cup 1 cucumbers, sliced
1 cup 1 sweet bell peppers, sliced
1 cup 1 fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp 1 fresh chili pepper, diced
1 tsp 1 white balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp 1 extra virgin olive oil
Directions
- Zucchini Fritters
- Prepare the ingredients
- Shred zucchinis by hand or in a food processor.
- Drain excess liquid from shredded zucchini if desired (see methods above).
- Place the shreds in a mixing bowl and add eggs, flower, minced garlic, salt and pepper.
- Mix all the ingredients.
- Heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Place heaping tablespoons of the zucchini mixture into the skillet when oil is hot, flatten with the back of the spoon to make them thin. Leave some space between the fritters so you can flip them easily. You will have about 3-4 batches to cook.
- Cook until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes on each side.
- Place cooked fritters on a bowl with a layer of paper towel to absorb excess oil. Repeat with the remaining batches.
- Salad
- Prepare garnish-salad ingredients
- In a mixing bowl, combine sliced radishes, cucumbers, bell peppers, cilantro and diced chilies. Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a dash of white balsamic vinegar. Toss to coat and set aside.
- Assemble
- Gently arrange your fritters on one side of the serving platter. Top with diced chili pepper and a dollop of sour cream. Garnish with salad, on the other side of the platter. Serve promptly.
Notes
- Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. You can eat fritters cold on a piece of fresh bread or warm them up in the oven or microwave.
- If needed, you can freeze the cooked fritters wrapped individually in Saran wrap for up to 1 month.
Nutrition Facts
4 servings per container
- Amount Per ServingCalories218
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat
18.07g
28%
- Saturated Fat 4.7g 24%
- Trans Fat 0.045g
- Cholesterol 251mg 84%
- Potassium 424mg 13%
- Total Carbohydrate
8.1g
3%
- Dietary Fiber 1.4g 6%
- Sugars 3.29g
- Protein 6.87g 14%
- Vitamin A 46%
- Vitamin C 122%
- Calcium 9%
- Iron 12%
- Vitamin D 4%
- Vitamin E 11%
- Vitamin K 42%
- Thiamin 11%
- Riboflavin 21%
- Niacin 4%
- Vitamin B6 19%
- Vitamin B12 84%
- Folate 14%
- Phosphorus 19%
- Magnesium 9%
- Zinc 12%
- Selenium 26%
- Copper 15%
- Manganese 10%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
