How to Make Jody Adams' Zuchinni Fritters
© Ken Rivard
Award-winning Boston chef Jody Adams stopped by our kitchen last week to give us a taste of Saloniki, her just-opened fast-casual Greek restaurant near Boston's Fenway Park. The restaurant's street food-inspired sandwiches are all made with just-baked pita, and they feature fillings like honey-garlic braised pork, lemon-oregano chicken, and spicy lamb meatballs—all with mix-and-match sauces like the cucumber and yogurt classic, tzatziki, spicy whipped feta, charred eggplant, and spicy pickled slaw.
We especially loved Adams's herbed zucchini-feta fritters with roasted garlic yogurt, and we're excited to share the recipe for them here:
SALONIKI'S ZUCCHINI FRITTERS WITH ROASTED GARLIC YOGURT
Active: 1 hr; Total: 2 hr 30 min
Makes 12 Fritters
2 pounds zucchini (6 medium), coarsely grated
Kosher salt
2 large eggs
3 Tbsp. chopped parsley
3 Tbsp. chopped dill
2 Tbsp. chopped mint
3 scallions, thinly sliced
7 ounces dry feta, cut into ¼-inch dice
About 2 cups panko
Freshly ground pepper
Vegetable oil or olive oil, for frying
Roasted Garlic Yogurt and lemon wedges, for serving
1. In a large colander set in a bowl, toss the grated zucchini with ½ teaspoon of salt. Let stand for at least 1 hour or refrigerate overnight.
2. Squeeze the zucchini dry: Wrap it in a kitchen towel and twist both ends tightly to extract as much liquid as possible. (Save the liquid for adding to soup, or to lemonade.)
3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until frothy. Add the zucchini, chopped herbs, scallions, feta and 1 cup of the panko; season with pepper and a scant teaspoon of kosher salt. Mix well. Pack the zucchini mixture into a 1/3-cup measure and turn it out onto a small baking sheet; repeat until all of the zucchini mixture is used. Pat the mounds down slightly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
4. In a large skillet, heat a thin film of oil. Dip both sides of each fritter in panko and fry in batches over moderately high heat, turning once and adding more oil as needed, until well browned, about 12 minutes per batch. Serve warm, with roasted garlic yogurt and lemon wedges.
Make Ahead: The fritters can be prepared through Step 3 and refrigerated overnight. They can also be fried ahead and reheated in a 350° oven.
ROASTED GARLIC YOGURT
Active: 15 min; Total: 1 hr 30 min
Makes about 1 ¼ Cups
¼ cup roasted garlic cloves (See note, below)
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Finely grated zest and juice of ½ lemon
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
In a food processor, puree the roasted garlic with the olive oil, lemon zest and lemon juice until smooth Add the yogurt, season with salt and pepper and puree again. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Note: To make roasted garlic cloves, cut a nice, firm head of garlic in half crosswise, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap the garlic in foil and bake at 325° for about 50 minutes, until the garlic is soft and lightly browned. Let the garlic cool slightly, then squeeze the cloves out of the skins.
Saloniki is at 4 Kilmarnock Street, Boston. salonikigreek.com
