Zucchini fritters

• 1 lbzucchini · about 2 medium, coarsely grated
• 1 tspkosher salt · for drawing out water
• 2 wholelarge eggs
• 1/3 cupalmond flour
• 1/2 cupparmesan · finely grated
• 3spring onions · thinly sliced
• 2 tbspfresh dill · chopped
• 1 clovegarlic · grated
• 1/4 tspblack pepper · cracked
• 2 tbspolive oil · for frying
• plain Greek yogurt · to serve

Method

1. 1

   Salt the grated zucchini and wait 10 minutes

   Toss the shreds with a teaspoon of salt in a colander and leave them to weep. Salt pulls the water out through osmosis so it never ends up in your batter. Skip this and the fritters steam in their own moisture and never crisp. This is the step almost everyone skips.

2. 2

   Wring it bone-dry, in two batches

   Pile the salted zucchini into a clean flour-sack towel and twist hard over the sink. You want to squeeze out a surprising amount of liquid, close to half a cup. Do it in two batches so you can really apply pressure. Dry zucchini is the whole game.

3. 3

   Almond flour and parmesan do the binding

   A third of a cup of almond flour plus the parmesan absorbs residual moisture and holds the fritter together without turning gummy like wheat flour does. The parmesan also browns into a savory crust. This combination keeps them gluten-free and low-carb without falling apart.

4. 4

   Go easy on added salt in the batter

   The zucchini already carried a teaspoon of salt and the parmesan is salty, so season the batter lightly. Taste a tiny pinch of the mix if you like. Over-salting here is the most common way these end up too aggressive to eat a plateful.

5. 5

   Medium heat and a thin film of olive oil

   Two tablespoons across the pan, heated until it shimmers. Too little oil and they stick and tear; a deep pool and they turn greasy. Medium heat lets the centers set while the outsides go deep golden, about 3 minutes a side.

6. 6

   Press each fritter thin as it hits the pan

   Drop a heaped tablespoon and flatten it with the back of the spoon to about a quarter inch. Thick mounds stay raw and eggy in the middle. Thin, even patties cook through and crisp edge to edge.

7. 7

   Flip once, and only once

   Leave them undisturbed until the underside is set and golden and they release cleanly, then flip a single time. Poking and turning them repeatedly breaks the crust and lets the insides go mushy. Patience on the first side is what gives you a crisp shell.

8. 8

   Drain on a rack, not paper towel

   A wire rack lets air circulate so the bottoms stay crisp; paper towel traps steam and softens them right back up. Serve them warm with a bowl of lemony Greek yogurt or tzatziki for dipping.