This is just one of several ways I’ve been trying to use up our plentiful harvest of zucchini. And by plentiful I mean the first crop was 20 pounds!! Second crop was 14 pounds and I haven’t even picked the third round yet!
We had a little extra room left in our garden and I thought to myself, “why not?”, and so I planted a few extra zucchini plants. So here’s the thing, “why not” is perfectly fine as long as you’re prepared to deal with the consequences of enough zucchini to feed your village. Was I prepared? Well, let’s just say I’ve been hard at work finding clever ways to use the stuff!
And so I’ve been putting it to use making various kinds of zucchini bread, soups, fritters, AND I even prided myself on the creation of a grand deception: I peeled the skin off so there’d be no flecks of green and pureed the zucchini to make an “Alfredo sauce” for my kids’ pasta. There they were, my 3 and 5 year olds scooping up and devouring this zucchini sauce…and they had no clue! It was brilliant!
For those of you who grow zucchini or just like to cook with it, what do you do with all of it? I still have more coming and am looking for ideas!
The key to getting these Italian Zucchini Fritters good and crispy is to get as much of the moisture out as possible. Otherwise they’ll be mushy. And I don’t know about you, but mushy zucchini is about the last thing I’m in the mood for.
But if they’re nice and crispy, I’ll gladly take several!
To do that you put the shredded zucchini in a bowl and toss it with salt. That will draw the liquid out of the zucchini.
After about 30 minutes you’ll see just how much water those zukes pack in ’em! You now want to thoroughly rinse and drain the shredded zucchini in a colander.
Next wring it out as best as you can. Probably the most effective way is to put it in a clean dish towel and squeeze the bejeezers out of it. Just keep squeezing and wringing, wringing and squeezing until it’s as dry as you can get it.
I call these “Italian” zucchini fritters because they not only use Parmesan cheese but also a variety of fresh Italian herbs. Nothing beats fresh herbs. Nothing. You can use whatever you have on hand. I grabbed some parsley, rosemary, oregano and basil from my garden.
Add the chopped herbs to the mixture along with the garlic, onion and eggs. Stir it to combine.
Next stir in the flour, Parmesan and spices.
You’ll end up with a very moist – but not sopping wet – mixture.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. Once hot drop about 3 heaping tablespoons’ worth of batter per fritter into the skillet and fry on both sides until nicely browned. Place the fried fritters on a paper towels to drain.
Serve immediately while the fritters are still crisp. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a little sprig of fresh parsley or other herb for garnish.
Enjoy!
- 2 pounds zucchini, washed and grated and tossed in a bowl with 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ⅓ cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian herbs (basil, rosemary, oregano, etc)
- ⅓ cup unbleached all-purpose flour (GF: use gluten-free all-purpose flour)
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Oil for frying
- Let the grated zucchini tossed with the salt sit for about 30 minutes, then thoroughly wring out as much liquid as you possibly can (key for achieving crispy fritters). One method is to place the grated zucchini in a clean dish towel and wring out the liquid that way.
- Stir in the eggs, onions, garlic and herbs. Then stir in the flour, Parmesan and spices.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot drop about 3 heaping tablespoons of batter per fritter in the skillet and fry on both sides until nicely browned. Place the fried fritters on paper towels to drain. Serve immediately while crispy. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprig of fresh herb for garnish.
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Sam @ PancakeWarriors says
Yes I just love these! Anything zucchini is good in my book!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
They’re definitely a great way to enjoy zucchini, Sam!
Valerie says
Could you dry the zucchini in a salad spinner effectively? I just got one and wondering about how to use it outside of lettuce.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Valerie! I haven’t tried it with a spinner so I honestly can’t say. Give it a try and then once you’re done squeeze it with your hands and see if there’s still more liquid that needs to come out.
Valerie Bryan says
Ahh, it was too dense for the spinner, it didn’t do anything, just stuck to the side. I wrung out as you recommended. Oh, wow, they were tasty. I’m not a giant zucchini fan but I’m always looking for new ways to get my vegetables, and these delivered. Fresh herbs make all the difference. Thanks again for another terrific recipe, Kimberly.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, I’m truly happy to hear that, Valerie! I agree, I’m generally not a huge zucchini fan either so I’m always looking for ways to to incorporate it into dishes that make it taste good. Thanks so much for the feedback as well as letting us know how your attempt went with the spinner! :)
Ashlyn @ Belle of the Kitchen says
These look so good! I am obsessed with zucchini right now and am trying to make it all kinds of ways. I need to make these soon for sure!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks, Ashlyn! My obsession is kind of forced right now with a gazillion pounds of zucchini growing out of our ears! :) But these are super yummy and I’ll be whipping up several more batches before the season is over.
Des @ Life's Ambrosia says
I adore zucchini fritters and these look wonderful! I am SO intrigued by the alfredo sauce though. That sounds all kinds of amazing!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
It was such a deliciously deceptive way to get my kids to eat zucchini, Des!
Cori Landon says
I made these last night and they were wonderful! I practically strangled the shredded zucchini to get as much water out as I could and the fritters were nice and crispy at the edges. Thanks for another great recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Cori, thanks so much for the feedback!
Loretta says
Can these be frozen?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Loretta, yes they can but let them thaw and drain completely and pat them dry before frying.
Loretta says
Can they be cooked and frozen, or should I freeze them uncooked? Your answer seems to indicate they are uncooked.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Absolutely, they can be cooked and frozen. Keep in mind that when you thaw them they’ll no longer be crispy so I’d either pop them in the oven for a quick broil and maybe even pop them in the toaster.
Joy DeNicola says
I made these yesterday and they were FANTASTIC! Everyone loved them. I made them with fresh organic zucchini from my garden.
My husband placed my cast iron frying pan on our preheated outdoor grill because I didn’t want to fry them indoors. I didn’t want to have to clean the stovetop afterwards and it was also a hot day. Cooking outside was the better option. When the oil was very hot we added the fritters and closed the lid on the grill. When they were deep golden brown and very crispy we served them immediately!
There was one fritter left over so the next day it was made into a sandwich. Served cold with a slice of red onion, and crisp romaine lettuce and mayo! Unbelievably delicious sandwich.
I am going to make as many of these as possible once I have a more zucchini from my garden later in the summer! I plan to freeze them and have them throughout the winter! ❤️❤️❤️
ThNk you for this amazing recipie
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s so awesome, Joy, I’m thrilled to hear it, thank you! We have zucchini growing in our garden, too, and I’m going to make them on the grill next time – it sounds fantastic! And I love the idea of eating them on a sandwich. I’ve always loved grilled veggie sandwiches so these sound like a great option. Thanks so much for sharing your experience!
Loretta says
An update…I made these and they were fantastic! We had them with a slice of tomato from the garden, topped wth fresh ricotta cheese and garnished with fresh basil…delicious.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That sounds heavenly, Loretta, thanks so much for sharing!
Jessica - The Novice Chef says
I love fritters! These look amazing!
Kacey @ The Cookie Writer says
I have a ton of zucchini from my garden this year and more keeps popping up! I like the idea of fritters because everyone seems to go straight for zucchini bread ;P
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet says
These fritters will disappear really quickly in our house! I can’t wait to make them!
Erin @ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts says
I have a ton of zucchini, definitely will be making this soon!
Krista says
What a great way to use up zucchini!
Paula - bell'alimento says
I love make fritters out of my garden zucchini!
Kerry says
Can you share the recipe for the zucchini Alfredo sauce you made for your kids? I have a 3 year old and twin 20 month olds who would rather die than eat something green.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Kerry! You can either add a bunch of pureed zucchini to this Alfredo Sauce recipe or make an even simpler version just by pureeing a large zucchini (you can remove the peel if you don’t want the sauce to be green) along with a little cream (milk curdles when heated) and then simmering it in saucepan, adding a dollop of butter and melting in the Parmesan and some salt and pepper as needed, then thickening it with a bit of cornstarch dissolved in water. I make the same kind of veggie sauce using sweet potatoes as well, which my kids also like.
Kerry says
Fantastic, I will definitely try it. Thanks so much!
Oliver says
Just finished eating these for supper. Really yummy. Adding these to my recipe book fo sure.
Next time I’ll spice them up with some curry powder/garam masala and pre-sweat the onions.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That sounds great, Oliver, and I’m so glad you enjoyed them, thank you!
Susan says
These taste great! I’m wondering if you’ve ever roasted them in the over vs. frying. If so, how did they turn out?
thanks.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Susan, I’m so glad you enjoyed them! I haven’t tried oven roasting and am not sure how well they’d hold together. If you give it a try please let us know how it goes!
Susan says
Well, I roasted them. They still tasted wonderful. However, they weren’t crispy on the outside and lacked a certain fritter-ness. I’m going back to frying them.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks for the feedback about roasting them, Susan. Agreed, you can’t beat the texture of fried fritters.
Susan says
I’m getting 2 pounds of zucchini with my imperfect produce order tomorrow. I’m going to fry half the batch and roast the other half, just to see what happens. I’ll let you know. Thanks for your quick response. Signed up for your newsletter.