Crispy Zucchini Fritters

With summer in full swing, most people who have planted a vegetable garden have more squash than they know what to do with. After going through the gamut from sautéed zucchini to zucchini bread one summer, I came up with these light delicious fritters that make for a great snack or the perfect canapé for your summer cookout.

Since “zucchini” comes first in the name, I want more vegetable than batter in my fritters. Too much batter and you get a doughy mess on the inside, too little batter and they don’t hold together. That’s why I use a simple beer batter that just coats each strand of zucchini. This way you can get crispy brown strands of zucchini peaking out from a tender flavorful center.

To bump up the flavor a little I’ve added some Comté cheese and onions here, but these would be great with some garlic, herbs, or even a little shrimp.

When you make the batter, just make sure the beer is very cold so it fries up crisp. The cold liquid slows the formation of gluten chains allowing you to mix the batter without making it tough. Plus, you only need a 1/2 cup of beer, so drink the rest while you’re frying up the fritters!

Crispy Zucchini Fritters

1/2 cup all purpose flour
20 grams Comté or Gruyère cheese, finely grated
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
black pepper

1 large egg
1/2 cup of cold beer

2 medium zucchinis shredded with a box grater (about 1 cup packed)
1/2 small red onion shredded

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pot until it reaches 350 degrees F. Line a rack with 2 layers of paper towels. Combine the flour, cheese, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg until smooth, then add the beer and gently stir together. Pour this mixture into the flour and stir until just combined. It’s fine if there are still a few lumps of flour. Add the zucchini and onion and stir to combine.

Use two spoons to drop little balls of the zucchini mixture into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown and crisp then use tongs to transfer them to to the paper towel lined rack. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve immediately.

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