Zucchini, Carrots and Onion Fritters

Crispy on the outside, soft and bursting with flavor on the inside, these tasty and colorful fritters are perfect as an appetizer, on a sandwich, or as a snack.
You can make the fritters smaller, for a finger-food option, or larger, to serve as a bed for fish or seafood dish, or poached eggs. Different herbs and seasoning can obviously be added, but personally I prefer not to use them here and let the flavor of the vegetables shine.

* Interestingly enough, last week I saw the first photos of this post  – and had a deja-vu moment, as it was such a similar, yet different dish. It’s always fascinating to see how different cooks end up creating different dishes from the very same basic ingredients. Either way you choose to make the fritters, I’m sure you’ll enjoy them.

Serve the fritters warm or cold, with lemon wedges, yogurt dip or sour cream.

Makes: about 16-18
Prep time: 15 minutes
Draining/standing time: 30 minutes
Frying time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
4 medium size white zucchini
2 medium carrots
¼ large white onion
1 Tbs salt
2 XL eggs
¼ cup fine semolina
¼ cup breadcrumbs
¼ flour
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Oil for frying
Lemons wedges for serving

1. Coarsely grate the zucchini and carrots. Cut the onion into medium size cubes. Place all in a colander and add the salt. Mix well and let drain for 15-20 minutes, mixing and squeezing the mixture occasionally, to get rid of as much liquids as possible. Note that the vegetables will lose almost half of their volume by the end of this process.

2. Beat the eggs in a large bowl and add the wilted vegetables. Add the semolina, breadcrumbs, flour and black pepper. Mix well and let stand for 10 minutes.

3. In a large pan, preheat oil for shallow frying on medium-high heat. Take heaped tablespoons of the mixture and place in the oil. Gently press on top of the fritters, to flatten them a bit. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a work space, lined with pepper towels, to absorb the oil.

4. Serve warm, with lemon wedges on the side.