Vegan Zucchini and Corn Fritters
Zucchini and corn fritters are a favourite for us - they’re easy, wholesome and make a super tasty breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack! For me, a crispy fritter that’s soft on the inside is what to aim for, and the enemy of this is moisture so this recipe is all about reducing that sog factor! Basically you make a paste with equal amounts of the liquid obtained from squeezing your grated zucchini (so you’ll need to weigh it) and chickpea flour, along with extra bread crumbs to absorb any extra moisture. I love mine with avocado, lemon, a drizzle of olive oil and seasoning like Mount Elephant Vegan Cheesy Sprinkles. Yes, these fritters are dairy and egg free.
INGREDIENTS:
300g zucchini, grated
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
200g fresh corn kernels (from two cobs)
2 Tbs chopped herbs (parsely, mint, coriander)
1 shallot, finely sliced
Zest of 1 lemon
2 Tbs hemp seeds
2 Tbs bread crumbs
Around 90g chickpea flour*
Sunflower or olive oil, for frying
To serve:
1-2 avocados
Lemon wedges
Mount Elephant Vegan Cheesy Sprinkles
METHOD:
Massage sea salt into your grated zucchini in a bowl, and leave for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, using a knife, shave the kernels from two corn cobs to yield around 200g and place in a bowl (these don’t need to be cooked!). Add chopped herbs, shallots, lemon zest and hemp seeds to the corn and give it a good mix.
When ready, squeeze as much liquid as you can out of the grated zucchini into a small bowl. Reserve this liquid and then add your grated zucchini to the corn. Add your breadcrumbs to this zucchini and corn mix and give it all a good stir. The bread crumbs will absorb any leftover moisture (because moisture is the enemy of a good fritter!).
Weigh your reserved zucchini liquid and add an equal amount of chickpea flour to it along with the baking powder to create a paste. So if you get 70ml liquid, add 70g chickpea flour. Now stir this paste through your zucchini corn mix so it’s all nice and coated. You want a “batter” that holds together well, but isn’t sloppy so if you need to add another tablespoon of chickpea flour, go ahead. What we’re aiming for is crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside fritters.
Place a frying pan over medium to high heat, and add your oil of choice. When it’s hot, spoon generous tablespoons of your fritter batter into the pan and flatten with the spoon so it resembles a small pancake. Allow it to sizzle for a couple of minutes until it’s golden brown and crispy and then flip to cook on the other side.
Serve with smashed avocado, a squeeze of lemon juice and generous scattering of Mount Elephant Vegan Cheesy sprinkles. So, so delicious!
Notes:
You can purchase chickpea flour from most health food or bulk stores, it acts as a binder when added to water.