Spiced Courgette & Sweetcorn Fritters

So we are where we are, somehow I’ve heard that before, ah yes, I remember hearing this a lot when we lived in Ireland, during the bailout years 😉 Oh well! Anyway after the shock result of the referendum last week we are back to a somewhat normal service in the Alston house and we, well I, am trying not to consume too much news because I’ll be honest with you I’ve had enough of it. So my mission is to remain calm and carry on with fingers crossed it all works out fine. And you know life goes on so I’m making sweetcorn fritters 😉

I’m calling these spiced courgette & sweetcorn fritters because well they are not spicy at all which is perfect for the kids, because we all know kids love fritters right?! I was actually surprised when these fritters went down so well with my girl, even though she loves the cauliflower fritters I make I wasn’t sure these would be as popular, but as usual she amazes me with her taste buds. Fritters are a great way to get kids to eat more veggies, they are really flexible so you can add in other vegetables here, once the vegetable is not to mushy or wet they should work great. I also think they are a great way to introduce kids to new vegetables, new flavours and spices, just remember to keep the heat down.

These fritters are lightly spiced, you can taste the spice but there is zero heat and loads of flavour. I’ve served them with a light tomato and avocado salad and a yummy minty lemon yogurt sauce, so this meal works great as a light lunch or the fritters on their own with the yogurt sauce would make a very tasty appetiser. The fritters and the yogurt sauce can be made a day ahead and stored in the fridge until you are ready to use them. These are also quite nice cold and would be great for a picnic if the sun ever comes out that is!

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Spiced Courgette & Sweetcorn Fritters

Spiced courgette and sweetcorn fritters with a mint yogurt sauce and a tomato and avocado salad.

Course Lunch

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 4

Author Michelle Alston

Ingredients

• FOR THE FRITTERS:
• 3 courgettes (480g), grated
• A pinch of salt
• 2 large free range eggs , beaten
• 4 spring onions , thinly sliced
• 165 g sweetcorn , canned is fine
• 120 g plain flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• A good pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil or coconut oil for cooking
• FOR THE MINTY YOGURT:
• 150 ml plain natural probiotic yogurt
• Zest of half a lemon
• 2 sprigs of mint , leaves removed and chopped
• 1 small clove of garlic , minced
• A pinch of sea salt and some a little grinding of black pepper
• FOR THE TOMATO AND AVOCADO SALAD:
• 250 g cherry tomatoes , halved or quartered
• 1 ripe avocado , chopped
• A small handful of basil leaves
• 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• The juice of half a small lemon
• Pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper
• Lemon wedges to serve

Instructions

1. Place the grated courgettes into a large sieve add a good pinch of sea salt and mix with your hands. Then place the sieve over a large bowl, leave for at least 10 minutes, this is to drain of some of the water from the courgettes.
2. While the courgettes are draining, make the yogurt sauce. This is as easy as adding all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and then letting it sit in the fridge until you're ready to use it.
3. Now make the fritter batter. Using your hands squeeze out any excess water from the grated courgette, then add the courgette, sweetcorn, and spring onions to a large mixing bowl. Add the beaten eggs and stir well. Sieve in the flour, baking powder and spices then add the salt and pepper and mix well.
4. To cook the fritters heat a little oil in a large non stick pan, add one heaped dessert spoon of the batter at a time the pan, cook the fritters for about 3 to 4 minutes each side, they should be golden brown and cooked through. I cooked these in batches of four. You can keep them warm in the oven if you need.
5. When the fritters are cooked place them on some kitchen paper to soak up any excess oil. This batter will make 12 good size fritters.
6. To make the tomato and avocado salad: add the tomatoes and avocado to a small serving bowl, add the lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and basil and mix gently, season with a little sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
7. Serve the fritters with the salad, some minty yogurt sauce and lemon wedges.