This is straight out of Melissa Clark’s Zucchini-Cornmeal cakes with Mint Chutney and Yogurt in her cookbook DInner. It is DELICIOUS (Mike who despises anything in the squash family has requested these!). We call these “fritters” in our house. I make a simpler yogurt sauce, which I’ll include here, only to cut down on prep time and after dinner dishes to wash.
For the fritters:
- 2 medium zucchinis, grated (about 3 cups)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup cornmeal (fine or course, I use whatever I have which is usually course)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 2 eggs
- 3 Tbls unsalted butter, melted
- 3 scallions, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- Olive oil
For the yogurt sauce:
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 5-6 mint leaves, finely chopped
- In a large colander, mix grated zucchini with 1/2 tsp of salt and let it sit and drain for 10 minutes.
- Make the yogurt sauce: Mix all ingredients and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cumin, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk eggs with melted butter. Add egg mixture to the dry ingredients, whisking into a thick batter.
- Squeeze as much liquid out of the zucchini and add by the handful to the batter. Add garlic and scallions and mix to combine well.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil. Once the oil is hot, scoop batter with a large spoon (~ 2 tablespoons) and place in the oil. Add 3-4 scoops to the pan and flatten with a spatula. Fry 3-4 minutes per side, until they are golden brown.
- Drain fritters on a paper towel. Sprinkle lightly with salt while they are still hot. Continue frying until you are out of batter,
- Serve immediately with yogurt sauce on the side.