Key Takeaways
- Stanley Tucci shared his family recipe for Zucchini Fritters, which uses just a few ingredients.
- The recipe starts with zucchini, plus Pecorino Romano, flour and egg.
- Pantry staples like olive oil, salt and pepper finish off the recipe with lots of flavor.
Even though I’m a dietitian and I love to cook, I must confess that not every vegetable excites me. Zucchini is one of those vegetables. Unlike carrots or broccoli, which have so much texture and flavor, zucchini can get mushy and even flavorless once cooked. But even I, a zucchini skeptic, am starting to fall in love with one of Stanley Tucci’s favorite zucchini recipes: his simple zucchini fritters.
This recipe only requires four ingredients (outside of staples like salt, pepper and olive oil), and the hardest thing you’ll have to do is grate a few zucchini. I love the method to make them too, which takes advantage of the vegetable’s neutral flavor and tenderness to deliver something delicious and nourishing.
Tucci recently shared his grandmother’s recipe for Zucchini Fritters on his Instagram account. In the video, he whips up a batch of fritters and shares that it took some convincing to get his kids to try them out. Initially they refused, he says, but then they tasted one and now he has to make them all of the time.
I wouldn’t mind a batch myself, especially if Tucci was making them for me. I’m not expecting an invite any time soon, but I’m looking forward to giving the recipe a try, especially once I learned that it was one of his grandmother’s recipes shared in his book, The Tucci Cookbook. (A fan also pasted the recipe into the comment section on Tucci’s post.)
The first step in making the fritters is a bit time-consuming, but not too challenging—assuming you have a box grater. To start, you’ll grate 1 pound of fresh zucchini. After grating, it gets tossed with some salt and sits in a colander over a bowl to drain. This important step serves two purposes. The first is to help remove water from the zucchini so that the fritters can crisp up nicely when cooked, and the second is to help season the zucchini.
After sitting for about 30 minutes, toss the zucchini with an egg, some grated Pecorino Romano cheese and flour. Then heat up olive oil in your trustiest pan and drop in spoonfuls of the batter, cooking until golden brown. Tucci recommends opting for tablespoon-size fritters.
I love Tucci’s recipe as written, but we have a few suggestions that can help you make these fritters as delicious as possible. First, take a few extra seconds at the grocery to select the zucchini. Choose squash that are dark green, firm and heavy for their size. Avoid any with cracks or mushy spots. A fresh zucchini will not only taste better, but will also be easier to grate.
Once you’ve grated your veggies, try not to rush the draining process. You’ll be tempted to get to the cooking, but for best results, you have to give the zucchini enough time to drain. For more flavor, consider tossing the grated zucchini with a bit of minced garlic and shallot after draining. You can also add spices or dried herbs to the batter—dried oregano, dried parsley and even crushed red pepper would be delicious additions.
Finally, make sure to get your pan and oil hot before adding your fritters. This allows your fritters to cook in the oil rather than just absorb it. And be sure to give them enough room in the pan—overcrowding won’t allow them to crisp up or cook evenly.
Zucchini is a nutritious food, providing fiber and other nutrients like vitamin C, potassium and folate. As an added bonus, cooking the fritters in olive oil contributes heart-healthy unsaturated fats to the dish, and is a great swap for butter or other fats that are high in saturated fat.
Once you’ve cooked up your fritters, enjoy them as a delicious appetizer or starting dish to any meal. Or serve them as a side to your favorite Italian dishes like Chicken Parmesan or Grilled Pork Loin with White Bean Puree & Lemon Herb Vinaigrette. However you choose to enjoy them, just be ready for everyone to ask you to make them again!
