Zucchini Bacon Fritters
Ingredients
· 4 cups grated/shredded zucchini, about 2-3 medium ones
· 3/4 tsp salt to “sweat” the zucchini
· 6 Slices Sugar Free Bacon
· 2 Tbsp coconut flour
· 2 Tbsp arrowroot flour
· 1 large egg whisked
· 1/2 tsp onion powder
· 1/4 tsp garlic powder
· 1/4-1/2 tsp black pepper
· 2-3 Tbsp cooking fat - rendered bacon fat, ghee, or coconut oil
Instructions
sweat the zucchini (most important step!):
1. To “sweat” the shredded zucchini, place it in a collander, then place the collander over a bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and allow it to sit for at least 20 minutes. The longer it sits, the more water is drawn out.
2. After the 20 mins. or longer, gently rinse zucchini to remove excess salt (not mandatory, but recommended if you’re salt-sensitive)
3. Then, squeeze/wring out remaining water using paper towels, a clean dish towel, cheesecloth, or even a nut milk bag. This step is very important to avoid soggy fritters! Squeeze out as much water as possible.
make the bacon:
1. 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 desired for frying the fritters.
prep & fry the fritters:
1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat (non-stick is helpful), then add 1 Tbsp cooking fat (you’ll use 1 Tbsp per batch)
2. Scoop the mixture in heaping Tbsps (you can use a medium cookie scoop) into the hot skillet and gently press down to about 1/2” thickness. The smaller size makes these delicate fritters easier to flip.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the prepared zucchini, crumbled bacon, coconut flour, arrowroot, egg, onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper. If you rinsed the zucchini, you may want to season with a bit more salt to suit your taste (although the bacon adds saltiness too!)
4. 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 grown, lowering heat a bit if necessary. Carefully remove to a wire rack while you make additional batches.
5. Make sure to adjust heat between batches if necessary to avoid burning the fritters, and add an additional Tbsp cooking fat before each new batch.
6. Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.
Chef Shawn Gagne, 603.377.0688