Herbed Zucchini Fritters

Directions

1. 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.
2. 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.