Baked Zucchini Fritters with Feta & Herbs

With all the cooking I do, I am very proud of my edible-to-disaster ratio. Meaning that, 98% of the time I can save a meal which is taking a turn for the worse. Maybe it needs a bit of salt, maybe a spin under the broiler—whatever it is, I can usually I can fix it and go on my merry way. But Zucchini! Ugh zucchini! Zucchini has been torturing me for years now, with all it’s delicious crunchy fries and fritters. Like eggplant, zucchini has a huge amount of water in it which needs to be removed if you want any sort of crunch. Which is easier said than done.

Last year, I attempted making fritters, but when I went to form them into patties, they were very wet. So I added more flour. Add then some more flour. And, oh right, some more flour. And when they were all done they tasted like, hmm…flour. Strange, I know. A few weeks ago, I set my sights on zucchini fries and while delicious in their garlicky-parmesan goodness, they were FAR from crunchy.

But since I refuse to surrender to the zucchini, I decided to try again. I mean really, how many meals could I possibly ruin in one month? I must have crunchy zucchini! And look, I did! I have photos to prove it! Now, with all my less than crunchy attempts, I have learned two things. (A) don’t add more flour to your patties, unless you really like the taste of flour. And (B) press the heck out of that zucchini until it can be pressed no more. And oh, ya, it will still be wet. It taunts me like that. (Seriously, if anyone can tell me how to make CRUNCHY zucchini fries, you will hold a special place in my heart).

Baked Zucchini Fritters with Feta & Herbs
adapted from Nigella Lawson . serves 2 as a main course

4 medium zucchini
1 c feta cheese, crumbled (large pieces broken up with fork)
5 scallions, finely chopped
3 T finely chopped fresh mint (plus additional for garnish)
2 T finely chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley)
1 c all-purpose flour
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t cayenne pepper
2 limes, sliced into wedges

Preheat oven to 400F. In a food processor (or with a hand grater), coarsely grate the zucchini. Transfer to an absorbent towel, spread into a thin layer, and let sit for 10 minutes. With another towel, press firmly to remove excess water. Let sit for 10 minutes (transferring to an additional towel, if needed). Again, press firmly with a towel, to remove excess water.

In a large bowl, combine feta, scallions, mint, cilantro, flour, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Add in shredded zucchini, and stir until well combined. With hands, form into 12-15 patties (mixture will be wet), and place on a well-greased baking sheet. Bake for 45-60 minutes, flipping every 15 minutes, until the edges are brown and crunchy (or longer depending on size/texture of patties). Serve with lime wedges and fresh mint leaves.