Zucchini and Scallion Fritters with Crème Fraîche

So on Sunday I ran in the Sydney Running Festival 9km bridge run (it was incredibly hot so I'm glad I wasn't ambitious enough to try the half-marathon), but since I'm used to running quite a bit further than this I got home still hyped on adrenaline. I couldn't sit still and decided to try a new recipe. It had to be easy and not require too many ingredients because I hadn't gone shopping. I settled on this recipe for Zucchini fritters which I've come across a few times on various blogs and in the weekend food section of several newspapers.

Ps I doubled this recipe and there still wasn't enough.

Zucchini and Scallion Fritters with Crème Fraîche

Adapted from one of my favourite blogs, Smitten Kitchen. The main difference is that I made mine gluten-free by using Orgran all-purpose gluten free flour.

Makes about 6 small fritters, I would advise doubling the recipe below

1 pound (about 2 medium) zucchini
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt, plus extra to taste
2 scallions (spring onions or green shallots), split lengthwise and sliced thin
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup plain gluten free flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Olive or another oil of your choice, for frying


To serve (optional)
1 cup crème fraîche
1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
Pinch of salt
1 small minced or crushed clove of garlic

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Have a baking sheet ready.

Trim ends off zucchini and grate them either on the large holes of a box grater or, if you have one, using the shredding blade of a food processor.

In a large bowl, toss zucchini with 1 teaspoon coarse salt and set aside for 10 minutes. Wring out the zucchini in one of the following ways: pressing it against the holes of a colander with a wooden spoon to extract the water, squeezing out small handfuls at a time (which I did), or wrapping it up in a clean dishtowel or piece of cheese cloth and wringing away. You’ll be shocked by the amount of liquid you’ll lose, but this is a good thing as it will keep the fritters crispy.

Return deflated mass of zucchini shreds to bowl. Taste and if you think it could benefit from more salt (most rinses down the drain), add a little bit more. Stir in scallions, egg and some freshly ground black pepper. In a tiny dish, stir together flour and baking powder, then stir the mixture into the zucchini batter.

In a large heavy frying pan heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat until simmering. Drop small bunches of the zucchini mixture onto the frying pan only a few at a time so they don’t become crowded and lightly nudge them flatter with the back of your spatula.

Cook the fritters over moderately high heat for about 3 to 4 minutes until golden. If you find this happening too quickly, reduce the heat to medium. Flip the fritters and fry them on the other side. Drain briefly on paper towels then transfer to baking sheet and then into the warm oven until needed.

For the topping, if using, stir together the crème fraîche, lemon juice, zest, salt and garlic and adjust the flavours to your taste. Dollop on each fritter before serving.

Just one more to tempt you!