These little bundles of joy are reminiscent of the fried zucchini my grandmother made when I was growing up. As I have mentioned before, I love zucchini and I haven’t met a fried item that I don’t adore too! This simple batter is easy to prepare and this is an impressive appetizer or a delicious side dish. The texture from the semolina flour is wonderfully crunchy without the heaviness from a breadcrumb coating. Highly recommend. Enjoy!

Tips:

• When you heat the oil, keep in mind 2 things. The temperature will lower when you start to add the zucchini, so make it a little higher initially. Also, the thickness of your zucchini will determine how hot the oil should be. If you cut the zucchini on the thicker side, like I did, you want a slightly lower temp than a very thin cut. You want the outside to brown, but also the inside to cook and soften.

• Sprinkle lots of salt on the zucchini as they are hot and draining. Taste a few to test:)

• The measurements are very grandma-like. You want to add enough water to the batter to be able to coat the zucchini. It’s pretty loose. but not watery.

Zucchini Fritters

Serves 2-4 as an appetizer

PREP 10 minutes

COOK 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup or so of semolina flour

1/3 cup parmesan, grated, plus more for topping later

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

About 5 fresh basil leaves, chopped finely, plus more for topping later

1 large egg

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup water, roughly

2-3 medium-thin zucchini, washed and sliced into medium-thin slices

Olive oil for frying

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare the batter in a large bowl, eventually all the ingredients go in here, so make it big. Combine the flour, parmesan, garlic, basil, egg and season with salt and pepper. Slowly add water, continually mixing until you have a loose batter that will coat the zucchini slices.

2. Prepare a large platter with paper towels and set aside.

3. In a large skillet, add enough olive oil to come up an inch in the pan. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until a drop of batter in the oil starts to bubble and brown nicely. See the tips above about the heat of your oil.

4. Begin adding your zucchini slices and allow to cook and brown until the zucchini begins to soften and the batter is a golden color. You will be surprised how the barely coated zucchini start to turn a beautiful golden brown.

5. Initially the fritters will sink in the oil, but as they brown they will float to the surface. Flip them to ensure they are golden on both sides. Transfer finished zucchini to your prepared paper towel lined platter. Sprinkle salt on the finished fritters while you add another batch.

6. Once drained, transfer the fritters to a clean platter and sprinkle more parmesan and basil on top and serve.