Courgette fritters
With some big courgette crops being reported there are probably people wondering what to do with them. Here is one delicious way to use the excess.
Courgette fritters
Ingredients
500g courgettes
½ tsp sea salt
40g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
20g fine polenta or cornmeal
4 spring onions
2 eggs, beaten
Nutmeg
15g fresh herbs of your choice (optional)
100g feta (optional)
Olive or vegetable oil, for frying
Method
Courgettes are, it’s said, 95% water, which risks leaking out into the batter, so diluting it and making the finished fritters soggy. You can make perfectly decent versions by simply grating the courgettes straight into the flour, but if you have the time, it’s well worth getting rid of some of that moisture before cooking.
Grate, then squeeze dry To do so, coarsely grate the courgettes into a colander or sieve, add the salt and toss. Leave to steep for 30 minutes to an hour, until wilted, then squeeze very thoroughly by hand, wringing out as much liquid as possible.
Coat in flour Put the courgettes in a large bowl. In a second bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and cornmeal (the latter will give your fritters a lovely crunch, but if you don’t have any, make up the weight in extra flour or fine dry breadcrumbs) until well combined, then stir into the courgettes.
Add the onions, eggs and nutmeg. Trim and finely chop both the white and green parts of the spring onions, and stir into the fritter mix. Add the beaten eggs, too, and finish with a good grating of nutmeg ( you can substitute your own favourite spice).Finely chop the herbs and crumble the feta, if using, then add both to the courgette mix.
Fry in batches Dollop large spoonfuls of batter around the pan and flatten them slightly. Cook for a couple of minutes, until golden brown underneath, then carefully flip and fry on the other side. Makes 10
