Skillet Sweetcorn and Courgette Fritters
Sweetcorn brings crisp little bursts to these thin summer fritters, while grated courgette keeps the middle tender. Chickpea flour binds the vegetables without eggs and gives the batter a nutty flavour when thoroughly cooked. Allow about 30 minutes for eight fritters and use a wide skillet so the edges have room to brown.
Measure and drain
- 250 g courgette, coarsely grated, and 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 120 g sweetcorn kernels, cut from the cob or thawed and drained
- 80 g chickpea flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced, and 60 to 90 ml water
- 2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil, divided
Toss the courgette with the salt and leave it in a sieve for 10 minutes. Wrap it in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze firmly over the sink. You do not need to get it bone-dry, but it should stop dripping when squeezed. Pat wet corn kernels dry before mixing.
Use the first fritter as a guide
- Whisk the chickpea flour, baking powder and cumin in a bowl. Stir in 60 ml water to make a thick paste, then fold in the courgette, corn and spring onions. Add extra water 1 teaspoon at a time only if the mixture will not hold together when scooped.
- Heat half the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Drop in a heaped tablespoon of batter and flatten to about 7 cm wide and no more than 1 cm thick. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until golden and firm, then split it to check that the middle is set and no wet batter remains.
- Cook the rest in batches, using the remaining oil as needed. Transfer finished fritters to a rack so steam does not soften the undersides.
If the first fritter spreads into a puddle, stir a tablespoon of chickpea flour into the bowl. If it colours before the middle sets, lower the heat and flatten the next batch a little more. Serve with a squeeze of lemon or a spoonful of plain yogurt.
