Hi internet, today I'm going to tell you about low-carb zucchini fritters, a recipe that is not practical, but is delicious and most importantly tricked my brain into thinking it's eating fried crispy carbohydrates.
I have two weeks left of a surprisingly difficult low-carb diet that I've undertaken because my doctor told me it would help me with my stem cell procedure outcomes. During these past few months, I've gone from the emotional extremes of checking if every ingredient in my almond milk is paleo, to eating blocks of cheese (even though I'm allergic to dairy) just to feel something, to watching hours of baking videos on YouTube and salivating. I know this sounds dramatic and it is. In a few weeks, you can count on my exploring a lot more recipes with carbs and even some dessert recipes!!
Back to these zucchini fritters. I came across the concept of fritters on YouTube, where I found a video showing how to make low-carb zucchini fritters. I didn't know what a fritter was but it sounded tasty and crunchy. These fritters are a little finicky to get right so I'll try to explain my process in detail.
Ingredients
You will need:
1.5 lbs zucchini
1 shallot
1 teaspoon salt, and a little black pepper
1/2 cup almond flour
2 medium eggs
A few tablespoons of olive oil
(Optional) sour cream for sauce
Recipe
Wash the zucchini, cut off the top and bottom parts, and shred it, using a box grater or food processor. Then mix 1 teaspoon of salt into the zucchini and let it sit for 20 minutes. During this time, the salt will make the zucchini "sweat," and you should start seeing juice coming out of the zucchini.
While you're waiting for the zucchini to sweat, finely dice 1 shallot, and beat 2 medium eggs, or just a little under 2 large eggs (beat 2 eggs and remove a tablespoon or so).
Once the 20 minutes have passed, squeeze out all the moisture from the zucchini. This is crucial to getting a crispy fritter. It takes me about 7 minutes of constant squeezing to get enough moisture out😩. The original recipe suggests using a nut milk cloth to squeeze the zucchini - I don't have that so I just squeezed it in a strainer.
Once you are tired from squeezing, combine the zucchini with the shallot, beaten eggs, and almond flour. Mix the batter around with your hands until things are well enough incorporated.
Take out a nonstick pan and place enough olive oil on it for the pan to be completely coated in a thin layer of oil (a few tablespoons). Once the oil is heated, lower to medium heat, scoop 1/4 cup mounds of batter, and place a few on the pan, not too many to not overcrowd it. Flatten the mounds with the bottom of 1/4 cup.
Fry on each side for 3-4 minutes, at which point each side should be golden-brown.
A Note on the Sauce
The original recipe called for a yogurt-garlic sauce with chives. I tried that with coconut yogurt and didn't really enjoy it, because I find yogurt creepy and the sauce was too garlicky. I've also paired the fritters with garlic aioli (mayo + garlic + lemon juice + salt + pepper), which was better but not perfect. This Italian grandpa made his zucchini fritters with sour cream, which has been the best pairing so far, even though it gave me slight allergies.
The Result
With sour cream on top:
I ate up this plate in about 2 minutes tops. These fritters are crispy and crunchy on the outside, and chewier on the inside. Their texture and taste convinces my mouth that they might be breaded, even though they're not. I highly recommend them for anyone who is struggling with a low-carb diet. Otherwise, they are a lot of trouble and you might want to try the Italian grandpa's medium-carb recipe, which seems simpler.
~Avi
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