Zucchini Corn Fritters

This is the time of year that many who are into gardening are harvesting what they are hoping is the last of the goodies from their garden, particularly those who have planted more than one zucchini plant!  These crazy people have often put friendships on the line in the name of getting rid of what almost always turns out to be an overabundance of huge zucchinis.  Case in point, my in-laws last year.  I think they still have zucchini in every form you can imagine in their deep freeze...needless to say I am pretty sure they skipped out on that particular plant this season.  

Anyway, for those of you who have tons of the stuff hanging around and whose neighbors are now slamming the door in your face screaming "No More!!!", I have a new recipe for you to try, zucchini corn fritters.  I found this recipe in Food Network Magazine last summer and have brought them to a few parties and dinners and they have always been a hit.  The zucchini taste kind of hides behind the corn too, so you can probably convince the kiddos that there is just corn in there.  Now you get rid of more zucchini and they are tricked into eating something I'm sure they've sworn they would never touch!

Our ingredients...

Sweat out the shredded zucchini with salt...

Cook the onions and garlic for 4 minutes and then add in the corn.  Cook an additional 3 minutes.

Whisk together our dry ingredients...

In a separate bowl, whisk together our buttermilk and egg.

Once whisked, mix in the corn and onion mixture, then the zucchini that has had the water squeezed out.

Finally, stir in the cornmeal mixture, just until incorporated.

Hooray!  Fritter mix! 

Scoop by 1/4 cup full scoops into a nonstick pan...please forgive my use of the old pan... :)

Cook until golden brown and crispy on both sides, then place on a paper towel to drain until serving.

Enjoy!  They are creamy, crunchy and super duper delicious!

Zucchini Corn Fritters

Serves 6-8 comfortably, Recipe from Food Network Magazine, Sept. 2011

2 medium zucchini (or one big one), shredded

kosher salt

1 Tbsp. butter

1/2 small onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 ears corn, kernels cut off

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. baking soda

ground pepper

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 egg, large

vegetable oil, for frying

In a medium bowl, toss zucchini with 1/2 tsp. salt; let stand 10 minutes and then place zucchini in a paper towel.  Squeeze to remove the excess water, place to the side until later.

Heat the butter in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat.  Add in the onions and garlic, cook until slightly softened, about 4 minutes.  Add in the corn and cook another 3-4 minutes.

Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, 3/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper in a medium bowl.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg; add in the corn mixture and then the cornmeal mixture.  Stir until combined.

Heat 1/8 of an inch of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Using an ice cream scoop, or a large spoon, scoop 1/4 cup of the batter at a time into the heated oil.  Use the back of the scoop to flatten the batter slightly into a thick pancake type shape.  Cook until golden brown and crispy, 3-4 minutes per side.  They can brown very quickly after a few pans full, so check them often and don't walk away!  When finished, drain on paper towels and sprinkle lightly with salt.  

These fritters can be made ahead and reheated at 375F.  (I also froze some and will edit this post at a later date to let you know how those turn out.)