Salmon and Zucchini Fritters

Welcome! What better way to kick-start this blog and this Friday-feeling than to share a new recipe of mine, which really is the epitome of 'weekend-in-a-dish'!

I saw someone making fish fritters while scrolling the internet for inspiration, and it's no secret to those who know me - I love fritters. But when I came across this fishy-fritter combination, although it undoubtedly sparked inspiration in me, it seemed to be missing something...

There’s a charming café on Broadway in London Fields, East London, that I used to visit now and then. They made these awesome veggie fritters, and I dream of them often. Sipping morning coffee, enjoying great company, munching on fritters, and people-watching—you just can’t beat it!

After reminiscing, I concluded what's a fritter without veggies?! and what's a meal of mine without an excuse to use salmon?!

So, here it is: combining the nostalgia of deliciously slow London mornings with the fish fritter I recently came across online. In perfect harmony, and as a great healthy filling meal, I give you my Salmon and Zucchini Fritters. Enjoy!

Ingredients in no particular order (makes around 6-8 fritters):

Tin of Wild Salmon (213g)

2 Medium Eggs

2/4 tbsp gluten free plain flour (I used this one from M&S: https://www.marksandspencer.com/ie/c/food/not-just-any-food/food-news/made-without)

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

Sprinkle of chilli flakes

2 tbsp lemon juice

¾ zucchini – grated

1 garlic clove

½ medium white onion

Olive oil (enough for pan)

2 tbsp gluten free breadcrumbs (recipe for my homemade gluten free breadcrumbs coming soon) —this may be an optional step but I think it works well in binding wet ingredients together to fry

4 tbsp fresh dill

 

Method:

In a heated pan add oil and finely chopped onion. Cook until translucent. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl combine grated zucchini, finely chopped garlic, eggs, dill, herbs/spices, breadcrumbs, tin of salmon and lemon juice. Add in that cooked onion too. Combine all together until it forms a wet mixture. Add in the flour until scoopable into ‘patties.’ Using a spoon, dollop your fritters straight into the hot oily frying pan (medium heat is best) and let cook on each side till no liquid seems to be left in the fritter, and both sides look crispy and golden brown.

Ingredients for lemony, dill crème fraîche topper:

3 tbsp crème fraîche

1 heaped tbsp fresh dill

Sprinkle of salt (to taste)

Sprinkle of pepper (to taste)

Sprinkle of chilli flakes

Zest of half lemon

1 tbsp lemon juice

Method:

Combine all into a bowl and mix. Taste as you go. This will make for one heck of a vibrant, delicious creamy dip that you will probably want to have a batch of constantly to dip just about anything in to.  

Add this onto your hot fritters, finish with a touch more lemon zest and dill.

Chef’s notes:

This recipe would be very good with sweetcorn. I love sweetcorn fritters so I might just have to do a separate post for a recipe on these, but you could also substitute out the zucchini and just add your sweetcorn or any other veggie of choice! The flavours of zucchini or corn work well because they are so fresh and so impactful in any dish. I feel like using something like a carrot might have less of an impact/be less flavourful. That being said, I do like the idea of actually grating a vegetable into a fritter – it seems more rustic and authentic to me!

These fritters are very good for making, freezing and having for lunch or brekkies by defrosting and browning off in a pan! Adding par-boiled eggs on top with a touch of za'atar in the crème fraîche would truly be the breakfast of dreams­— *chef's kiss*!

For those of you who are vegan or dairy/lactose free, I would swap out the eggs for Aquafaba like this OGGS one: (https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/oggs-aquafaba-egg-alternative/437771-729858-729859?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADnhuuXD-Bu--Ln1gX5rOjUbLIFo_&gclid=CjwKCAjw-JG5BhBZEiwAt7JR6wXnOcvZWqOi4QHF3-A8Rj_MQ-UpaRv1orX7DPl_h9F0H1uJaVzJSxoChKsQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds), vegan yoghurt will also work for the crème fraîche. And vegans obviously don’t want the salmon in there so leaving it out/putting that delicious sweetcorn in is a great option.

Health Benefits:

This recipe is high in omega-3 fatty acids from the salmon, which support heart and brain health. The zucchini adds fibre and essential vitamins while keeping the dish low in calories. This recipe has low to no sugar content – and for my fellow diabetics, it’s really nice knowing that you can control the carb count of this dish by the amount or type of flour used… apart from the flour the dish is pretty much low to no carbs! These are great for when my blood sugars are testing too high at lunch but I also fancy something healthy and filling.