Courgette and Feta Fritters with Mint
Golden pan-fried courgette fritters with salty feta and fresh mint. Crisp at the edges, soft in the middle, and a good hit of protein from the eggs and cheese.
- Total
- 30 min
- Prep 15 · Cook 10 · Rest 5
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Pan-frying
- Savory
- Stovetop
Instructions
-
Grate the courgette on the coarse side of a box grater into a clean tea towel. Gather the towel and squeeze hard over the sink until no more liquid drips out, about 2 minutes. You should end up with roughly 150 g of dry grated courgette.
~2 min
Salting and squeezing removes excess water so the fritters bind and fry crisp instead of turning soggy.
Squeeze the grated courgette harder than feels necessary: leftover water is the main reason fritters fall apart or turn soggy instead of crisp.
-
Crumble the feta into a mixing bowl, tearing it into pieces about 1 cm. Add the drained courgette, the egg, 30 g flour, 0.25 tsp salt and 0.125 tsp black pepper. Tear the mint leaves and add them, then mix with a fork until it holds together like a thick, spoonable batter.
~5 min
-
Let the batter stand so the flour hydrates and the mixture firms up enough to hold its shape in the pan.
~5 min
Resting lets the flour hydrate and the mixture firm up, so the fritters hold their shape in the pan.
-
Set a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and add 1.5 tbsp olive oil. Wait until the oil shimmers and a crumb of batter dropped in sizzles straight away, about 2 minutes.
~2 min
Heating the oil until it shimmers ensures a hot pan that sets the fritters quickly and prevents them from absorbing oil.
Pan-frying Heat oil until a crumb sizzles instantly, then fry over medium heat without moving the fritters until the underside is deep golden. Flipping too early or using high heat leaves them raw inside or burnt outside.
-
Spoon the batter into the pan as 3 fritters, each about 7 cm wide and 1.5 cm thick, leaving space between them. Fry without moving them until the undersides are deep golden and set, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip with a spatula and fry the second side until golden and firm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes more.
~8 min
Frying undisturbed over medium heat lets the egg and feta set through before the outside darkens, giving a crisp shell and cooked centre.
Keep the heat at medium rather than high. The egg and feta need time to set through before the outside darkens, so a slower fry gives a crisp shell with a cooked centre.
Pan-frying Heat oil until a crumb sizzles instantly, then fry over medium heat without moving the fritters until the underside is deep golden. Flipping too early or using high heat leaves them raw inside or burnt outside.
-
Lift the fritters onto a plate lined with paper towel and let them drain for 1 minute. Eat while the edges are still crisp.
~1 min