Author Notes
I've never been excited about the flavor of zucchini which, to me, has a slightly metallic edge. So I did what any sensible person does when faced with a food they don't like much...I fried it in oil. A crispy, salty brown crust forgives many culinary shortcomings. I added a healthy dose of fresh basil and chives to sweeten up the zucchini and a bit of baking powder for lift. —Laurie
Ingredients
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2
medium zucchini
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1/4 cup
fresh basil, chopped
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1/4 cup
fresh chives or scallions, chopped
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1 1/2 teaspoons
salt
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few grinds
black pepper
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1/2 cup
flour
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1/2 teaspoon
baking powder, preferably aluminum free
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1
egg
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1/4 cup
olive oil
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1/2 teaspoon
lemon zest
Directions
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Trim ends of zucchini and shred on largest holes of box grater. Place in a colander, sprinkle with salt, mix and set over a bowl to drain for 20-30 minutes. Dump drained zucchini onto a clean kitchen towel, wrap up tight and squeeze over the sink. You won't believe how much water these puppies will leach.
Place "dry" zucchini, chopped herbs and zest in a bowl.
Mix flour and baking powder together in a small bowl and sprinkle over zucchini, adding a few grinds of black pepper. Mix gently. Beat egg in a separate bowl, add to mix and stir just until combined.
Heat oil in pan over medium heat until hot. Add a heaping tablespoon of batter and gently flatten with back of spoon. Fry for about 4 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and repeat with remaining batter. You can keep these warm (or re-warm) in a hot oven, but they're best eaten immediately.
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Note: Don't skip the step of salting, draining and squeezing the zucchini if you want crisp fritters (you do) and use a nice heavy pan. I've tried both nonstick and cast-iron and while cast-iron has a slight edge for crust, both work well. Don't be tempted to cook these too fast - I made this mistake once and had eggy, raw centers.
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