Zucchini and Roasted Corn Fritters with Cilantro Jalapeño Lime Greek Yogurt

Zucchini and Roasted Corn Fritters with Cilantro Jalapeno Lime Greek Yogurt are golden brown and crispy and packed with veggies.  Enjoy for an easy summer meal or appetizer!

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you moms out there!  I hope you all have a glorious day relaxing and spending time with your families.  It’s pretty much Sunday as usual for me…I’m not making a big deal out of today.  Maybe because it doesn’t seem possible that it’s May already and I don’t feel that I’ve gotten a chance to really celebrate spring yet?  My idea of celebrating spring is making dishes out of fresh, farmer’s market produce, so I think this dish fits the bill.

I know I’ve said it a thousand times….I don’t like to fry.  Frying makes a huge mess, and I don’t like to eat greasy food very often.  Lightly fried food is an entirely different story, and that’s exactly what these Zucchini and Roasted Corn Fritters with Cilantro Jalapeno Lime Greek Yogurt are.

These moist little cakes are packed with zucchini, roasted corn and scallions, and they’re bound together with a little egg, buttermilk, cornmeal and flour.  That’s it!  Quick to put together, quick to fry, and might I say, quick to eat. 😉

I love finding new ways to incorporate veggies to make them more exciting.  I’m much less picky about how my veggies are prepared, but I can’t say that about everyone in the house.  Let’s face it, we all tire of eating the same things the same way, so changing it up is important.  The more interesting the veggies, however, the more the kids are prone to eat them.

Who can resist a pretty little golden brown stack of cakes like this? 🙂

I had a lot of fun whipping this up during the day with nobody around, and I could barely keep my hands off of them during what seemed to be an extra long photo shoot.  I tried many different ways styling them, and they were a fun food to play with.

Eating them was much more fun, however, and I quickly polished off about 4 for my lunch. 🙂

These little fritters are great on their own, but I thought it would be great to enjoy them with a spiced up, cool, creamy Greek yogurt sauce.  I think the Greek yogurt really amped up the flavors, and I wouldn’t suggest skipping that part!

Most of the jalapeños I’ve been picking up at the store have been very mild, but the one I picked up this time surprised me and had a lot more heat.  I roasted it to tone it down some, and tossed in some cilantro for freshness and lime juice for that citrus-pick-me-up.

Even after roasting, the jalapeño was still quite spicy, but you can decide how spicy you want yours.

If you don’t like to fry, this recipe is for you, because you’re only dealing with a very shallow layer of canola oil.  Just don’t let the pan go dry as the pan will start to smoke and your fritters will burn.  Maintain a nice, medium low heat and that shallow layer of oil, and you’ll be good to go.

I kept my cooked fritters warm on a wire rack over a baking sheet in an oven I’d heated and turned off to keep them warm while I cooked the rest.  If you’re having company, this would be a great way to keep them warm before your guests arrive.

These Zucchini and Roasted Corn Fritters with Cilantro Jalapeno Lime Greek Yogurt would be a definite crowd pleaser, or just keep them all to yourself.

I recommend doing that with the first batch, anyway, because you’re gonna love ’em. 🙂

Zucchini and Roasted Corn Fritters with Cilantro Lime Jalapeno Greek Yogurt

Yield: 12 small fritters

Total Time: 25 minutes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Zucchini and Roasted Corn Fritters with Cilantro Jalapeno Lime Greek Yogurt are golden brown and crispy and packed with veggies.  Enjoy for an easy summer meal or appetizer!

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

For the fritters:

• Canola oil, for frying (about ¼ cup, divided)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 medium zucchini, grated
• 1 ear roasted corn, kernels removed*
• 1 large scallion, thinly sliced (light and dark green parts only)
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• ¼ cup cornmeal
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons low fat buttermilk
• salt and pepper, to taste

For the Greek yogurt:

• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt (I used 0%)
• 1 small jalapeño, seeded, roasted, and finely chopped*
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• ½ teaspoon lime zest
• ½ teaspoon agave syrup
• salt, to taste

Directions:

Prepare the fritters:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Place a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Set aside.
2. Line a sieve with cheesecloth and set over a bowl. Mix the grated zucchini with the teaspoon kosher salt and place in the cheesecloth lined sieve. Let stand 10 minutes.
3. While the zucchini sits, whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl and set aside. Whisk the buttermilk and egg together in a small bowl and set aside.
4. After 10 minutes, gather the cheesecloth around the zucchini and squeeze the liquid out. Make sure you get as much liquid out as possible — you will get somewhere around ½ cup of liquid by the time you’re done. Place the zucchini in a medium bowl, and add the roasted corn, and scallion. Stir in the buttermilk and egg mixture until incorporated. Add the flour mixture, stirring just until combined.
5. Turn off the oven. Add 1-2 tablespoons of canola oil to a medium pan and heat over medium to medium low heat. You don’t want the pan too hot as the bottom of the fritter will cook too quickly and the inside won’t be completely done…cook them the way you would a pancake, and make sure you keep a nice, shallow layer of oil constantly in the pan. Cook about 2 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Place the cooked fritters on the wire rack and place in the oven to keep warm. Cook the remaining fritters, adding oil and adjusting the temperature as needed.

Prepare the Greek yogurt:

1. Place the yogurt in a small bowl. Add the jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, lime zest, agave syrup, and salt to taste. Serve with the fritters, and enjoy!

Recipe Notes:

• *To roast your jalapeño, cut the sides off of the jalapeño and lay skin side up on a foil lined baking sheet. Cook under the broiler for about 10 minutes until the skin is blackened. Place in a bowl and cover with foil for about 10 minutes, then remove the peel and chop!
• *To roast the corn, remove the husk and silk, and grill over medium low heat until the kernels are charred, about 15-20 minutes, turning often. Cool and cut the kernels from the cob.
• For a short cut, use 1 cup of Trader Joe’s frozen roasted corn. Just thaw and microwave according to package instructions.

Recipe source:  Flavor the Moments

// All images and text ©Flavor the Moments.