French-Style Zucchini Fritters
Known as Croquettes de Courgettes, these French style Zucchini Fritters are a perfect Summer treat and delicious way to sneak more veggies into your day. They are made with a heaping amount of zucchini, onion, garlic and nutty Gruyère cheese – which makes these fritters perfectly tender inside and crispy outside. They’re fun and easy to make, and always disappear fast. These French Style Zucchini Fritters are a great way to use up the abundance of zucchini available in late summer. They’re very popular across France, specifically in the South…
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 18 min
- Yield
- 12 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 lbs zucchini (about 2 large)
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 red onion (or 2 shallots), peeled and diced
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
- ½ cup (50g) Gruyere cheese, grated
- ½ cup (60g) all purpose-flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ to ½ cup (60ml to 120ml) extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- 1
Step 1 - Trim the zucchini ends and grate them on a grater or in a food processor. Pick up handfuls of the zucchini, place your hands above the sink and squeeze out as much liquid as you possibly can. Transfer the squeezed zucchini into a large mixing bowl.
- 2
Step 2 - Add the egg, the diced onion, the minced garlic, the gruyere cheese and black pepper. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and add it to the zucchini bowl. Mix well. The mix may feel too dry at first but moisture will come out as you mix.
- 3
At least 5 minutes before you start frying, heat a large frying pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add about 2 tablespoons (30ml) of oil.
- 4
Step 3 - When the oil is sizzling, drop the zucchini mixture by the heaping tablespoonful into the hot oil. Do not overcrowd the pan. Three or four dollops is plenty, at a time. Use a spatula to flatten the dollops of batter and fry until crisp and golden, about 3 minutes per side.
- 5
Transfer the fritters onto a plate lined with paper towel. Lightly salt them to taste. Repeat until no zucchini mixture remains. When needed, add extra olive oil (up to 2 tablespoons) to “refill” the bottom the pan.
- 6
Serve fritters hot and crispy.