Crispy Vegetable Fritters
By Cecelia JenkinsPublished on June 3, 2018
Time
55 minutes
Yield
Makes 12 fritters; serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Sauce
⅓ cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish, drained1 tablespoon lemon juice Salt and pepperFritters
½ cup (2½ ounces/71 grams) plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour ½ cup (2 ounces/57 grams) plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch ½ teaspoon baking powder ¾ cup seltzer 1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper 1 cup shredded zucchini ½ cup shredded carrot ½ cup thinly sliced onion ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves 2 scallions, cut into ½-inch pieces1 garlic clove, minced1 ½ cups vegetable oil Salt and pepperBefore You Begin
Buy refrigerated prepared horseradish, not the shelf-stable kind, which contains preservatives and additives. You can use tap water instead of seltzer, but the fritters won’t be as light. Shred the zucchini and carrots on the large shredding disk of a food processor or the large holes of a box grater. You may use any combination of vegetables as long as the total amount of prepared vegetables equals 3 packed cups. However, we do not recommend using corn; it pops in the hot oil. We season the batter just before frying because the salt causes the vegetables to shed water that thins the batter. To serve the fritters hot, hold the first two batches on a wire rack in a 200-degree oven.
Instructions
- Whisk mayonnaise, horseradish, and lemon juice together in bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside.
- Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet and line half of rack with triple layer of paper towels. Whisk flour, cornstarch, and baking powder together in large bowl. Add seltzer and whisk until smooth, thick batter forms. Add bell pepper, zucchini, carrot, onion, cilantro, scallions, and garlic to batter and stir until vegetables are evenly coated.
- Add oil to 12-inch nonstick skillet until it measures about ¼ inch deep and heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. Stir ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper into vegetable batter.
- Using ¼-cup dry measuring cup, place 1 portion of vegetable batter in skillet; immediately spread to 4-inch diameter with spoon so top sits slightly below surface of oil. Repeat 3 times, so you have 4 fritters in skillet. Make sure vegetables do not mound in centers of fritters. Adjust burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 300 and 325 degrees.
- Cook on first side until deep golden brown on bottom, 2 to 4 minutes. Using 2 spatulas, flip and continue to cook until golden brown on second side, 2 to 4 minutes longer, moving fritters around skillet as needed for even browning.
- When second side of fritters is golden brown, turn off burner so oil doesn’t overheat. Transfer fritters to paper towel–lined side of prepared rack to drain for about 15 seconds per side, then move to unlined side of rack and season with salt.
- Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining vegetable batter in 2 batches, stirring to recombine batter as needed. Serve with sauce.
for the sauce
for the fritters
Time
55 minutesYield
Makes 12 fritters; serves 4 to 6Ingredients
Sauce
Fritters
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Sauce
Fritters
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Sauce
Fritters
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
For more-flavorful fritters, we tested a number of vegetable options and settled on a mix of shredded zucchini, shredded carrot, sliced red bell pepper, and thinly sliced onion. We found that we needed only 3 cups of vegetables to make 12 fritters. For the thick batter, we combined equal parts flour and cornstarch plus seltzer and baking powder so the fritters would be shatteringly crispy. We added salt to the vegetable batter just before frying so it didn’t draw water out of the prepared vegetables and interfere with crispiness. We carefully monitored the temperature of the shallow oil we used to fry the fritters, turning off the burner between batches to keep the oil from overheating and to ensure that each batch came out deep golden brown, lacy, and crispy. And finally, we whipped up a creamy, bright horseradish mayonnaise to complement the crunchy fritters.
Before You Begin
Buy refrigerated prepared horseradish, not the shelf-stable kind, which contains preservatives and additives. You can use tap water instead of seltzer, but the fritters won’t be as light. Shred the zucchini and carrots on the large shredding disk of a food processor or the large holes of a box grater. You may use any combination of vegetables as long as the total amount of prepared vegetables equals 3 packed cups. However, we do not recommend using corn; it pops in the hot oil. We season the batter just before frying because the salt causes the vegetables to shed water that thins the batter. To serve the fritters hot, hold the first two batches on a wire rack in a 200-degree oven.
Instructions
- Whisk mayonnaise, horseradish, and lemon juice together in bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside.
- Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet and line half of rack with triple layer of paper towels. Whisk flour, cornstarch, and baking powder together in large bowl. Add seltzer and whisk until smooth, thick batter forms. Add bell pepper, zucchini, carrot, onion, cilantro, scallions, and garlic to batter and stir until vegetables are evenly coated.
- Add oil to 12-inch nonstick skillet until it measures about ¼ inch deep and heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. Stir ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper into vegetable batter.
- Using ¼-cup dry measuring cup, place 1 portion of vegetable batter in skillet; immediately spread to 4-inch diameter with spoon so top sits slightly below surface of oil. Repeat 3 times, so you have 4 fritters in skillet. Make sure vegetables do not mound in centers of fritters. Adjust burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 300 and 325 degrees.
- Cook on first side until deep golden brown on bottom, 2 to 4 minutes. Using 2 spatulas, flip and continue to cook until golden brown on second side, 2 to 4 minutes longer, moving fritters around skillet as needed for even browning.
- When second side of fritters is golden brown, turn off burner so oil doesn’t overheat. Transfer fritters to paper towel–lined side of prepared rack to drain for about 15 seconds per side, then move to unlined side of rack and season with salt.
- Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining vegetable batter in 2 batches, stirring to recombine batter as needed. Serve with sauce.
for the sauce
for the fritters
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