Bacon and Zucchini Fritters: crispy, easy and delicious
Bacon isn’t the first thing that springs to mind when you are looking for a healthy meal, but these fritters combine crisp bacon with tender zucchini (known as courgette in the UK), as well as garlic and onion flavors.
These budget-friendly little fritters are easy to make and can be on the table in less than 15 minutes.
Serve with a variety of dips and sauces.
Instructions
You need to remove the excess water from the zucchini by “sweating” it, using salt.
Put the zucchini in a colander, then place the colander over a bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and allow it to sit that way for at least 20 minutes – the longer it sits, the more water is drawn out. The reason this is done is to make sure that your fritters don’t turn to mush when they are fried, so it’s important not to skip this step.
You need to remove the excess water from the zucchini by “sweating” it, using salt.
After the 20 mins or longer, gently rinse zucchini to remove the excess salt if you wish.
Then, wring out remaining water using paper towels, or a clean dish towel. This step is very important to avoid soggy fritters. Squeeze out as much water as possible, and put to one side.
Put the zucchini in a colander, then place the colander over a bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and allow it to sit that way for at least 20 minutes - the longer it sits, the more water is drawn out. The reason this is done is to make sure that your fritters don’t turn to mush when they are fried, so it’s important not to skip this step.
While the zucchini sweats, cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp, then drain and crumble. Set aside. Reserve 2 tbsp of the fat if you like for frying the fritters.
In a large bowl, mix together the prepared zucchini, crumbled bacon, coconut flour, arrowroot, egg, onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper.
After the 20 mins or longer, gently rinse zucchini to remove the excess salt if you wish.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat, then add 1 tbsp of the reserved cooking fat.
Scoop the large tablespoons of mixture into the hot skillet, and gently press down to about 1/2” thickness. The smaller size makes the fritters easier to turn.
Then, wring out remaining water using paper towels, or a clean dish towel. This step is very important to avoid soggy fritters. Squeeze out as much water as possible, and put to one side.
Once the first side is golden brown, which should take about 2-3 mins, carefully flip using a wide spatula. Fry on the second side another 2-3 minutes until golden brown, lowering the heat a bit if necessary.
Carefully remove to a dish lined with paper towels while you make additional batches.
While the zucchini sweats, cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp, then drain and crumble. Set aside. Reserve 2 tbsp of the fat if you like for frying the fritters.
Make sure to adjust heat between batches if necessary, to avoid burning the fritters. Add an additional tbsp cooking fat before cooking each new batch.
Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
Turning these fritters can be a bit tricky, as they are inclined to fall apart, so take your time and use as wide a spatula as you can.
