Sweetcorn and courgette fritters with pickled salsa

Sweetcorn and courgette fritters with pickled salsa

Delightful, crisp-edged, supper or lunch fritters to make use of all that high-summer bounty, homegrown or not. They make a good strategy for getting more, colourful vegetables on the plate generally – veg fritters go so well with chopped salsas (such as the lightly-pickled cucumber one, below) and leafy/tomato/lentil/wholegrain/potato salads. Swap in any plain flour for the chickpea flour, as needed, but I do like the chickpea flour option for flavour, higher protein and gluten-free credentials (useful, when cooking for others who might require that option).

I’ve kept the fritter recipe simple, but you could consider it a base for variations and additions. A few ideas that would be delicious to add or sub-in without throwing the basic proportions off:

Chopped coriander, basil or mint; sliced spring onions; toasted cumin and/or coriander seeds; za’atar; citrus zest, paprika; chilli of any sort; sesame seeds; chopped capers, olives or sundried tomatoes; Makrut lime leaves and grated fresh ginger; avocado as an accompaniment instead of, or as well as, the salsa.

Finish each serving with extra salads, crumbled feta or griddled halloumi, a spoonful of Greek yoghurt (or similar) or a fried/poached egg, as you like. More images below…

Ingredients

• For the fritters

  250g courgette, coarsely grated (2 small)

• A large pinch of salt

• 250g raw sweetcorn kernels

  (from 2 smallish cobs, kernels cut away)

• 90g chickpea (gram) flour

• ¼ tsp baking powder

• 1 egg

• 1 large clove garlic, crushed

• ½ red onion, finely chopped

• 1 large handful flatleaf parsley, chopped

• Olive oil, to fry

  For the pickled salsa:

• ½ large cucumber, peeled, deseeded and finely diced

• ½ red onion, very finely chopped

• 1 small red pepper, deseeded and finely diced

• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

• A large pinch each of salt and sugar (any type to hand, or use honey)

To accompany, as shown: lemon wedges; a sliced tomato, basil and olive salad; feta slices; a few drops of extra virgin olive oil

Serves 2, but easily doubled

(makes 6-8 fritters as written, depending how big you make them)

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: less than 10 minutes

Method

If making the pickled salsa, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside for 20 minutes, stirring now and then.

To make the fritters, turn the oven on low to keep the cooked fritters warm while you finish the batch. Put the grated courgettes in a bowl and mix the salt through thoroughly. Set aside for 10 minutes, then tip the lot into a clean cloth or tea towel and wring out over the sink, squeezing very tightly to remove as much excess water as possible.

Add the wrung-out courgettes to the sweetcorn, chickpea flour, baking powder, egg, garlic, onion and parsley in a mixing bowl, seasoning with black pepper and a little salt. Fold together to combine – this makes a thick batter.

Put a large frying pan over a medium heat and add approx. 1 ½ tablespoons oil. Once the oil is hot, drop in a heaped tablespoon batter per fritter to resemble thick, Scotch pancakes. You should be able to cook 3-4 at a time, depending on size. Cook for about 2 minutes before flipping over and cooking for 2 minutes more. They should be golden and set, so turn the heat down a notch if they’re browning too quickly. Transfer to kitchen towel and keep cooked fritters warm in the oven while you cook the remainder in the same way, first adding a little more olive oil to the pan.

Serve the fritters straight away, with the salsa spooned over. A tomato, basil, olive and olive oil salad, plus lemon wedges to squeeze over make excellent accompaniments, as do a few slices of crumbly feta.