These Crispy Tomato Fritters Style Like Summer time on a Greek Island

Think about sitting on a quiet seaside in Greece on a sizzling summer time day. The clear, cool sea glides softly over the small grey rocks dotting the shoreline, the water an ideal shade of turquoise. Because the afternoon warmth peaks, it is time for a protracted, leisurely lunch. A taverna desk is dappled with daylight. You order a Greek salad, grilled fish, fried potatoes, and a meze unfold. Among the many dishes is a platter of vegetable fritters—nonetheless heat, glistening from the oil, their golden edges irresistible. Dipped in tangy yogurt, they’re the perfect companion to the salt air and gradual tempo of summer time.

Why Fritters Belong in Summer time

That scene could sound romantic, but it surely speaks to a fact: Vegetable fritters are top-of-the-line summer time dishes, regardless of your setting. They seem to be a scrumptious, sensible solution to benefit from peak-season produce, and their enchantment stretches throughout many cuisines, the Greek desk amongst them. 

Meet Ntomatokeftedes: Greek Tomato Fritters

Certainly one of my favourite Greek fritters is ντοματοκεφτέδες, written as ntomatokeftedes (tomato fritters) in English. Ntomatokeftedes, additionally spelled tomatokeftedes, are certainly one of Greece’s most iconic vegetable fritters, a beloved specialty of Santorini. The island’s dry local weather and volcanic soil yield tomatoes with concentrated taste and minimal water content material, excellent for fritters. You may additionally discover variations all through many Greek islands, notably within the neighboring Cycladic islands and on the Greek mainland.

The time period keftedes is usually related to meatballs. Nonetheless, in Greek, it additionally refers to any small fried spherical—whether or not it is produced from zucchini (kolokithokeftedes), chickpeas (revithokeftedes), or, as on this case, tomatoes.

The Greatest Tomatoes for Greek Tomato Fritters

One of many joys of this recipe is its flexibility. Bought bruised tomatoes from the market? Just a few underripe ones languishing on the counter? Use them. Juicier tomatoes could require additional flour, whereas firmer ones want much less. And although these are greatest made in summer time with ripe fruit, they’re forgiving sufficient to fulfill low season tomato cravings, too.

A Fritter Constructed on Juicy Tomatoes

In contrast to many fritters, reminiscent of zucchini fritters, which require squeezing out moisture from the principle vegetable to attain crispness, tomato fritters embrace their juicy star ingredient. This recipe balances tomato’s pure moisture with flour, egg, herbs, and briny feta to create a spoonable batter that is dolloped straight into sizzling oil—no fussy shaping required.

The feel of the batter is essential. It ought to be someplace between free tuna salad and a thick scoopable dip like tzatziki. If, after mixing, the batter feels too free—typically the case with juicier, ripe tomatoes—add a tablespoon of flour at a time till it simply holds its form with out turning into stiff or cakey. I like to make use of a mix of each chopped and grated tomatoes in my fritters. The chopped tomatoes create bursts of taste and vivid purple flecks on the floor, whereas the grated tomato provides the fritters an excellent, sunburnt hue and a lush tomato taste all through.

Serving the Fritters

As soon as fried to a deep golden purple, the fritters are greatest served heat with a beneficiant dollop of full-fat Greek yogurt. Crisp-edged, craggly, and wealthy with tomato, herbs, and feta, they’re an excellent appetizer or meze.

One other beauty of this recipe is how simply adaptable it’s to no matter is in your crisper: Decide a star vegetable, mix it with herbs, aromatics, cheese, egg, and flour, and fry till golden. It will not bodily transport you to Santorini, but it surely’ll take your style buds there.

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