Zucchini Fritters with Soy Dipping Sauce
Inspired by techniques from Bon Appétit.
Grated zucchini is salted and wrung bone-dry, then bound with just enough egg, flour and cornstarch to fry into thin, crisp-edged fritters flecked with chives. A quick soy, rice vinegar and sugar dipping sauce gives them a sharp, salty-sweet contrast.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Make the dipping sauce. Stir the rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and a pinch of red pepper flakes together in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
- 2
Salt and drain the zucchini. Toss the grated zucchini with the salt in a colander set in the sink and let it stand for 10 minutes, then gather it into a clean kitchen towel and wring out as much liquid as you can.
- 3
Mix the batter. Put the zucchini in a large bowl and gently mix in the egg, flour, chives and cornstarch. Season with a little more salt and the pepper.
- 4
Fry the fritters. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering, about 175 °C if checking with a thermometer. Working in two batches, drop in 60 ml portions of the mixture, flatten them slightly, and cook until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes per side.
- 5
Drain and serve. Lift the fritters onto a paper towel–lined plate and season with a little more salt. Serve warm with the dipping sauce; if frying ahead, keep the first batch warm in a low oven, about 95 °C, while the rest cook.
Storage
Best eaten right away while crisp. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 2 days and reheated in a dry skillet or oven to crisp back up. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
EU nutrition claims
- Source of protein: 3.8 g protein per 100 kcal, about 15% of energy (needs ≥ 12%)
- Low saturated fat: 0.8 g saturated fat per 100 g, 7.7% of energy (limits ≤ 1.5 g and ≤ 10%)
- Low sugars: 4.2 g sugars per 100 g (limit ≤ 5 g)
- Source of fibre: 1.6 g fibre per 100 kcal (needs ≥ 1.5 g)
Per 100 g of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 145 g a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
1.5 g per serving
3 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 6 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- box grater
- colander
- clean kitchen towel
- mixing bowls
- large skillet
- thermometer
- thin spatula
- paper towels
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 128 kcal |
| Protein | 4.8 g |
| Carbohydrate | 15.3 g |
| of which sugars | 6.1 g |
| of which free sugars | 1.5 g |
| Fat | 5.6 g |
| of which saturates | 1.1 g |
| Fibre | 2.1 g |
| Salt | 0.86 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
3.8 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
