Courgette Fritters with a Tzatziki Tahini Cream and Chilli Sauce
Courgettes (zucchini) are in season in early summer, and when they arrive, there are so many of them! We came up with this recipe because on the farm, the courgettes and cucumbers came to fruit around the same time. The combination of a crispy fried fritter with the cooling acidity of this cucumber tzatziki tahini cream is amazing. If making courgette flower fritters, just remove the stamen, inside the flower, and add in some of the filling and fry for a beautiful, delicious seasonal treat!
Takes 25 minutes
Serves 2
Ingredients
Fritters
- 300 g courgettes zucchini (10.6 oz)
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 red chilli optional
- 1/2 bunch of scallions spring onions (approx 4)
- 240 g tinned butter beans 8.5 oz
- Small bunch of fresh mint or coriander cilantro (10g) (0.35 oz)
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 4 tbsp regular flour or gram flour chickpea flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Cucumber Tahini Tzatziki
- 1/2 cucumber or 2 snacking cucumbers
- 400 g natural soy yoghurt 14.1 oz
- 8 tbsp light tahini
- Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
- Pinch of salt
- 1 clove of garlic
- To Garnish
Chilli sauce (homemade or store-bought)
Instructions
Make the Fritters:
- Prepare the Courgettes: Grate 300g (10.6 oz) of courgettes into a muslin cloth or sieve, sprinkle with a pinch of salt,and leave to sit for about 5 minutes.
- Prepare the Other Ingredients: Meanwhile, peel and finely chop 2 cloves of garlic, finely dice 1/2 red chilli, and finely chop 1/2 bunch of scallions. Drain and rinse the tin of butter beans. Finely chop a small bunch (10g or 0.35 oz) of mint or coriander.
- Squeeze the Courgettes: After 5 minutes, squeeze all the juice out of the courgettes and drink or discard the liquidq . Place the courgettes in a large bowl.
- Mix the Batter: Zest 1/2 lemon and in the zest and juice of 1/2 lemon into the bowl. Add the garlic, chilli, scallions, butter beans, mint, 4 tbsp flour, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Mix and mash using a potato masher or fork until well combined.
- Form the Fritters: Using your hands, take the equivalent of 2 tablespoons of the batter and roll into small fritters (disk shape).
- Cook the Fritters: Heat a non-stick pan over high heat, add 1-2 tbsp of oil, and fry the fritters for a few minutes on each side until golden brown (approx 2 minutes on each side). Repeat until all are cooked. You can cook them in an airfryer or oven for a lower oil version.
Make the Tahini Cream:
- Prepare the Cucumber: Grate 1/2 cucumber into a sieve, add a pinch of salt, and let sit for a few minutes.
- Mix the Tahini Cream: In a bowl, mix 400g (14.1 oz) soy yoghurt, 8 tbsp tahini, zest and juice of 1/2 lemon, mint, a pinch of salt, and 1 finely chopped garlic clove. Add the grated cucumber and mix well. Adjust seasoning to taste. Drink the remaining cucumber juice which should taste sweeter than the courgette juice or you could discard it.
Serve:
- Plate the Fritters: Divide the tzatziki cream between 2-3 plates.
- Add the Fritters: Divide the courgette fritters between the plates.
- Garnish: Drizzle with chilli sauce and enjoy!
