Zucchini Fritters

1 pound (about 2 medium) zucchini

1 teaspoon coarse or kosher salt, plus extra to taste

2 scallions, split lengthwise and sliced thin

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Olive or another oil of your choice, for frying

To serve (optional):

1 cup sour cream or plain, full-fat yogurt

1 to 2 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon lemon zest

Pinches of salt

Heat oven to 200 degrees F. Have a baking sheet ready.

Trim ends off zucchini and grate them either on the large holes of a box grater or preferably, 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, or wrapping it up in a clean dishtowel or piece of cheese cloth and wringing away. 

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, around 1/4 teaspoon more.. Stir in scallions, egg, and some freshly ground black pepper. In a small dish, stir together flour and baking powder, then stir the flour mixture into the zucchini batter.

In a large heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Drop small bunches of the zucchini mixture onto the skillet (only a few at a time so they don’t become crowded) and lightly nudge them flatter with the back of a spatula. Cook the fritters over moderately high heat until the edges underneath are golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. If this is happening too quickly, reduce the heat to medium. Flip the fritters and fry them on the other side until browned underneath again, about 2 to 3 minutes more. Drain briefly on paper towels then transfer to baking sheet and then into the warm oven until needed. Repeat process, keeping the pan well-oiled, with remaining batter. Fritters should have at least 10 minutes in the oven to finish setting and getting extra crisp.

Sour Cream Topping:

For the topping, if using, stir together the sour cream, lemon juice, zest, and salt, and adjust the flavors to your taste. Dollop on each fritter before serving. 

(These fritters keep well, either chilled in the fridge for the better part of a week and or frozen in a well-sealed package for months. To use, simply spread them out on a tray in a 325 F oven until they’re hot and crisp again.)

Makes about 8 to 10 2-1/2 inch fritters

From Smitten Kitchen, adapted from Simply Recipes, with minor changes