Courgette and Sweetcorn Fritters

Sweetcorn and courgette fritters are really versatile.

How about with an egg for breakfast? Or, enjoy with a minty dip for a starter or barbecue side?

Either way, these fritters are crispy on the outside, with plenty of crunch on the inside too.

Perfect for using up home grown courgettes, this recipe uses pantry staples and frozen sweetcorn, making it great for feeding a family without breaking the bank.

They are also easy to make in advance too.

Enjoy!

Jump to:

• Why you will love this recipe
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🍽 Equipment
• 🔪 Instructions
• ⏲️ Cooking Time
• 🥗 Serve with
• Substitutions
• 📖 Variations
• Storage
• Prepare in Advance
• FAQs
• 📋 Recipe
• More light bites
• 💬 Comments

There's something really satisfying about the humble fritter.

The simplest ingredients turn into something incredibly moreish when you bite into the crispy shell and savour the textures and flavours inside.

In all honesty, I have never been a fan of mushy courgettes. So often they are overcooked and watery, and have no real taste at all.

Cooking them quickly in a fritter, keeps their crunch and sweet flavour intact. Together with spring onions and frozen sweetcorn, these fritters also go down well with children too.

In fact, swap the ingredients around and it's surprising how many veggies you can hide in a fritter if you need too!

Of course, this recipe is also budget friendly. Great for making a dinner from pantry staples.

Why you will love this recipe

• Budget friendly ingredients
• Easy to make and cook
• Naturally vegetarian
• Enjoy as a breakfast, lunch or dinner
• Great for using home grown courgettes

🥘 Ingredients

• Courgette - or zucchini. Use any colour courgette you prefer. Pick medium sized if possible as larger ones tend to have less taste and more water.
• Sweetcorn - use frozen or canned sweetcorn for ease. Great for leftovers. If you are using frozen sweetcorn then just measure it out while you get the rest of the ingredients ready and it will have thawed enough to cook.
• Spring onions - also known as scallions or salad onions, for extra crunch and flavour.
• Seasoning - cooking salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Oil - for frying, such as vegetable, olive or sunflower oil.
• Eggs - large and free range for the batter.
• Flour - plain or all purpose flour.
• Baking powder - to make the fritters extra fluffy. Leave this out if you prefer.

See recipe card for quantities.

🍽 Equipment

• medium frying pan or skillet
• spatula
• grater
• sieve
• kitchen paper
• kitchen knife
• chopping board
• mixing bowl
• 5 cm or 2 inch scoop

🔪 Instructions

Wash the courgettes and cut off the stalk.

Trim the spring onions and slice.

Use the coarse side of a box grater to grate the courgette.

💭 Top Tip

• Most courgettes hold a lot of water, which can make soggy fritters. Put the grated courgette in a sieve over the sink. Next, use you hands to squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Leave the courgette on a couple of pieces of kitchen paper, to soak up the remaining moisture.

Add the sweetcorn, courgettes, spring onions, flour, baking powder, eggs and seasoning to a large mixing bowl.

Mix all of the ingredients together.

The mixture will be quite thick.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat.

Use the scoop to drop level amounts of the courgette and sweetcorn fritter mix onto the pan.

Flatten slightly to about 1.5 centimetres or half an inch with a fork.

⏲️ Cooking Time

Leave them to cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden.

Turn them over and cook the other side for 3 minutes.

💭 Top Tip

• To get the fritters crispy it's better to leave them undisturbed for at least 2 minutes before you check them.
• They will easily move away from the bottom of the pan when they are done.
• It's easier to cook them in batches, rather than try to cook them all at once.

While you are cooking the rest, put the courgette and sweetcorn fritters on some baking parchment on a baking dish and keep warm in the oven.

🥗 Serve with

Serve the fritters for:

• Breakfast - top with a fried or poached egg and serve with some bacon.
• Starter or side dish for casual eating - mix some natural yogurt with some fresh chopped mint to dip in or try this quick watercress sauce.
• Main meal - with a salad and jacket potato.

Serve them as a side dish with:

• Minted Lamb Burgers
• Simple Roast Gammon
• Cod Cheeks in Panko
• Savoury Bread and Butter Pudding
• Poor Man's Lobster (bacon Wrapped Monkfish)
• Venison Burgers
• Black Bean Burgers
• Beef and Black Pudding Burgers
• Falafel Burgers

Substitutions

• Frozen sweetcorn - replace with drained canned sweetcorn. Leave on kitchen paper to remove excess moisture before using.

📖 Variations

Use some of these ingredients for a change.

• Peas - frozen peas, drained on kitchen paper.
• Peppers - use a mix of different colour cut into small dice. No need to precook.
• Aubergine - cut into small dice.
• Green beans - cut into small lengths.
• Chicken - use leftover chicken shredded or cut into pieces.
• Bacon - fry some bacon lardons or use some chopped cooked ham.
• Potato - use leftover boiled potatoes cut into small cubes.
• Spicy - add some different flavours such as chilli powder, paprika, ground coriander, curry powder or garam masala.

Storage

• Refrigerator - cool, cover and store cooked courgette and sweetcorn fritters in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Freezer - pack into containers or airtight bags and freeze for up to 3 months. Although advice is normally not to refreeze previously frozen food, peas and sweetcorn can safely be frozen again.
• To reheat - defrost overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat in a frying pan over a medium heat with a small amount of oil or place on an oven tray and reheat in the oven at 180 C / 350 F / 160 FAN / Gas 4 until heated through.

Prepare in Advance

• Prepare the batter in advance, cover with cling film and store in the fridge up to a day before cooking.

FAQs

More vegetarian bites

• Cheese and Onion Potato Cakes
• Mushrooms on Toast
• Baked Halloumi Fries
• Baked Garlic Mushrooms
• Onion Tarte Tatin
• Mushroom Tarts
• Fennel and Pear Salad

📋 Recipe

More light bites

Food Safety

• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
• Wash hands after touching raw meat.
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
• Never leave cooking food unattended.
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
• Always have good ventilation when using gas.

Do you have a question or did you make the recipe?

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