Asparagus & Zucchini Fritters with Herby Yogurt Sauce
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I love making fritters out of seasonal vegetables - they are basically savory, veggie-packed pancakes and they are always a big hit. The key is to serve them with this herby yogurt sauce that's a combination of fresh cilantro, mint, cumin & coriander, lemon juice, vinegar, and olive oil all blended together with greek yogurt. It keeps for several days in the fridge and amazing on literally everything - roast vegetables, any kind of protein or grilled meat / fish, and in particular a sauce to go with these fritters.
The prep time for these fritters is super short, you just want to lightly sauté the chopped asparagus and thinly sliced zucchini for 2-3 minutes until they are just softened before you mix them together with the fritter batter. You could grate the zucchini, but I find that the whole mixture gets a little more watery if you grate them vs slicing thin.
These fritters are a great side dish for any kind of main - fish, chicken, steak, etc, and they also make for a great vegetarian main on a warm night, especially if you serve them with a big salad.
Yields a dozen or so fritters, depending on how big you scoop them.
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Directions
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes then the chopped asparagus and thinly sliced (or grated) zucchini. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are bright green and just starting to soften. Season with a generous pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper and cook 30 seconds more. Set aside to cool slightly.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining fritter ingredients (the 1/2 cup flour, 2 egg, 1/2 cup grated parmesan, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and another small pinch of red chili flakes). Mix together to combine well. Add in the cooked and slightly cooled asparagus and zucchini, straight from the pan (don't bother cleaning out the pan, you're going to use it again to fry up the fritters). Mix together well until the mixture resembles a thick pancake batter.
Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to the non-stick pan, just enough to lightly cover the bottom of the pan (it will be different for each person depending on how big your pan is). Heat the oil over medium heat, then add ~1/4 cup scoops of the batter into little mounds like you would pancake batter. If you have a cookie scoop for cookie dough, that would work well.
Cook the fritters on the first side until golden brown, ~2-3 minutes. Flip, press down gently, and cook on the second side for another 2 minutes until golden brown. If your heat is too high, the fritters will start to burn on the outside before the batter cooks on the inside, so try to keep the heat at medium. Remove the cooked fritters to a paper towel lined plate, season the tops of them with a small pinch of kosher salt right when they come off the pan, and repeat with the remaining batter.
While the fritters cook, make the yogurt sauce. Add all the sauce ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend. Stop the motor, scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula, and pulse a few more times. Taste, and adjust seasoning with more salt (a little goes a long way here), lemon juice, or olive oil. If it's too tart and tangy, add a little olive oil. If it doesn't taste tangy, add a splash more lemon juice or white wine vinegar, etc. Pulse again and then transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Serve the fritters right away with the yogurt sauce on the side. Enjoy!