Crispy Zucchini Fritters with Greek Yogurt Sauce (Tzatziki)

It breaks my heart when I see people reaching out for the ready-made tzatziki at the supermarket. I can’t think of anything easier than to mix up a few simple ingredients and make this quintessential Greek yogurt spread on your own.

To make the tzatziki, I often use a microplane to grate my garlic, but a fine mince will also do. As far as the yogurt is concerned, there are so many “Greek yogurts” out there, but my absolutely favorite is FAGE which is now readily available in the States. It is so dense and creamy that, even if you use the 0% fat, you will not notice the difference or miss the calories. Tzatziki is a healthy topping and spread and it will hold well in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. You can simply enjoy it with wedges of toasted Mediterranean pita bread (the pocketless kind of pita bread).

Another favorite pairing for tzatziki is zucchini fritters. Luckily, we don’t have to wait for Summer to find decent zucchini in the market. When possible, look for small-sized, bright green, organic zucchini. Small-sized zucchini have few or no seeds at all. Eliminating the moisture of the zucchini is very important, so your fritters don’t get soggy (the technique is the same with the one used to drain the cucumber from excess moisture in the tzatziki recipe). You can make your fritters really small and serve them at room temperature as an appetizer, topped with a tiny bit of tzatziki and a small feathery leaf of dill.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Crispy Zucchini Fritters with Greek Yogurt Sauce (Tzatziki)

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

A traditional Greek summer appetizer

Author: Marilena Leavitt

Recipe type: Appetizers

Cuisine: Greek

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• For the Fritters:
• 4 TBSP. olive oil
• 1 lb. small size zucchini
• --- ---- salt
• ½ cup green onion, diced
• 1 small yellow onion, grated
• ½ cup fresh dill, finely minced
• 4 TBSP. fresh parsley, finely minced
• ½ cup freshly grated Kasseri cheese (or Parmesan)
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup AP flour
• --- ---- salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
• --- ---- olive oil for sautéing
• For the Tzatziki:
• 1 sm. English cucumber peeled, seeded and grated
• 4 med. garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 TBSP. fresh dill, finely minced (optional)
• 1 16oz. container of plain Greek yogurt (FAGE 2%)
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 TBSP. red wine vinegar
• ¼ tsp. salt

Instructions

1. For the fritters:
2. Grate the zucchini and place it in a colander, over a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and let drain for 30 minutes. Squeeze out moisture and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Place the grated zucchini in a bowl and add the green and yellow onions, dill, parsley, cheese, flour, eggs, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
4. Pour oil into a sauté pan to a depth of ¼ of an inch. When oil is hot, drop the mixture by the tablespoon into the pan, pat it down gently with the back of the spoon and fry for 2 minutes on one side then 3 minutes on the other or until golden brown.
5. Transfer the fritters to paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
6. Keep warm until ready to serve.
7. For the tzatziki:
8. Peel the cucumber, seed it and grate it. Place it in a colander, sprinkle with some salt and let it sit for half an hour. Squeeze the water out by pressing it between the palms of your hands. Place the grated cucumber in a medium bowl.
9. Mince the garlic cloves and the fresh dill and add it to the bowl.
10. Add the rest of the ingredients, season with salt, mix well, cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least a couple of hours.
11. Before serving, mix again, drizzle with some extra olive oil, place a Kalamata olive in the middle and serve with wedges of toasted Greek pita bread, or with zucchini fritters.

Notes

-- This recipe makes a lot of tzatziki and a lot of fritters. It can be easily divided - I usually make half of it!
-- Tzatziki can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
-- Dill in tzatziki is used only in some parts of Greece and it is optional if you don't like it. Fresh dill is best but if you are using dried dill, use only 1 tsp. of dried dill for every 1 TBSP. of fresh.

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