With the mound of shredded zucchini I could have made 3 batches (6 loaves) of zucchini bread.  I could have done this and frozen loves, or given them to friends.  But lets face it, I just don’t have that many friends and my freezer just couldn’t take the load!

If I would have been thinking more clearly I would have shredded half of the ginormous squash and then sliced the rest and grilled them or sauteed them to serve with the leftover mac and cheese.  We cannot change the past, so I decided to make zucchini fritters.  I looked at a few recipes.  All used shredded zucchini, at least one egg, flour, and salt and pepper.  From that base I found that the possibilities are endless.  Some recipes used Parmesan or other cheeses in the mix, some used panko or some type of bread crumbs, some used onions (scallions or red), and the seasonings that were used ranged from simple S&P to 6 different herbs in one recipe.  I mixed and matched based on what I had at home.

I do not fry food at home.  I will eat fried food, and I like it.  But I am not one of those girls who registered for a Fry Daddy when she got married, and Ben did not push for one!  So, even this shallow frying was new to me.  How hot should the oil be?  How much oil should I use?  I checked out some recipes and found 1/8 – 1/4 inch of oil to be the typical amount for frying these fritters.  I did not actually measure the depth, but it was enough to cover the bottom of the pan and was somewhere in this range, probably closer to 1/4 inch.  I found this to be a fine amount for these little rounds of tasy goodness!

Oh so tasty!  I used some feta cheese, scallions, salt and pepper and some dried dill in the fritters and thought they were great.  I served them with sour cream, a great garnish and complement to the fritter.  I would like to try these with parmesan cheese and basil next time?  Or simple fritters with no cheese or extra herbs?  Decisions, decisions…

Zucchini Fritters

• 2 medium to large zucchini coarsely grated (about 2-3 cups)
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried dill
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup flour
• 4 Tablespoons bread crumbs
• salt and pepper

1. Put the grated zucchini in a colander and sprinkle liberally with salt.  Let sit and drain for at least 30 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
2. Remove the zucchini by the handful, squeezing to remove as much liquid as you can.
3. Mix zucchini in a bowl with feta, green onions and dill.  Mix lightly with a fork.  Add the lightly beaten egg and stir.  Add flour and bread crumbs.  The mixture should be wet but not watery.  Mix in salt and pepper to taste.
4. Heat olive oil in a pan about 1/8 inch deep covering the entire pan.  When hot, scoop out a spoonful of the zucchini mixture and put it in the pan.
5. Let it cook about 3-4 minutes or until brown and then flip them.  Cook another 3-4 minutes until browned.
6. Remove fritters and place on a paper towel-lined plate to remove some excess oil.  Serve hot with sour cream.