After nearly three weeks in Charleston, we’re home. The hubby was out of the country for work for part of that time, and our au pair, who has become like a member of our family, was also back in her home country visiting her friends and family for the past month. Last night everyone was back together under one roof again, and we all couldn’t have been more thrilled.

I’m especially pleased to be back home in my own kitchen. Even though I’m sure my parents would’ve welcomed me to cook, I kind of feel like cooking in someone else’s kitchen is like wearing someone else’s shoes. You might be the same size, but it just doesn’t feel right.

For our inaugural dinner back home, last night I whipped up a stack of corn and zucchini fritters (and they’re paleo and gluten free, too)!

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I wanted to make something slightly healthier using fresh summer vegetables that have popped up in our neighborhood grocery store. Whenever we’re in Charleston, I tend to eat the fattiest, cheesiest, meatiest deep-fried stuff ever, because it’s SO DELICIOUS AND WHY NOT. Then, when my waistline is fully expanded to baby whale proportions, I come home and have to detox. But don’t fret, my friends — I’m not a total health nut. Fritters are fried, after all.

We also had some fresh herbs and veggies in our backyard garden that had sprouted up while we were in Charleston. Ge Ge loves to garden (again, proving my theory that he is an adorable old soul, like Benjamin Button). Ever since we got home on Friday, he’s been spending time in the garden, lovingly stroking the leaves of baby lettuce that have started sprouting and combing his fingers through the long curls of chives that are cascading over the side of our deck. When I told him I would be needing some of his chives for my corn and zucchini fritters, he took his job of trimming and washing them very seriously.

I originally made these corn and zucchini fritters with the intention that they’d be our dinner for a Meatless Monday. Ge Ge assembled a green salad using his baby lettuce for the garden, chattering away about how fresh garden vegetables taste better, just like fresh fish from his grandfather’s dock (again, old soul). Then I remembered that I’d brought some house-made Andouille sausage back from Mercantile and Mash in Charleston, and just like that, Meatless Monday evaporated into a cloud of spicy pork goodness.

I loved these corn and zucchini fritters — because I wanted to make them gluten free, I used almond meal instead of flour, and they turned out gorgeously flaky. The sweet corn and zucchini tasted fresh and crunchy, and we ate ours so quickly that I’d wished I’d doubled my recipe and made even more.

Luckily, we had that Andouille sausage to fill our bellies. Phew.

corn and zucchini fritters (gluten free/paleo)

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

Serves: 8 fritters

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini
• 2 ears fresh corn, shucked and cut off the cob
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• ½ cup almond meal
• 8-10 fresh chives, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Canola oil, for frying
• optional: lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

1. Trim the ends off the zucchini and grate using a box grater's medium-sized grates. Scoop the grated zucchini onto a couple of clean, dry paper towels, then gather up the edges of the paper towel to form a ball. Squeeze the ball of zucchini gently over the sink to remove as much moisture as you can.
2. Open the paper towel and gently dump the zucchini into a large bowl. Add the corn, eggs, almond meal, chives, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly with a rubber spatula to combine.
3. Heat a heavy bottomed, deep skillet over medium heat. Pour oil into pan so that a thin layer of oil covers the entire bottom. Continue to heat the pan until the oil is shimmering, then add scoops (about ½ cup) of zucchini batter to the oil. Do not crowd the pan with scoops or the fritters will be hard to flip.
4. Using your spatula, gently press down on the batter while it's frying to flatten out the fritters. Fry on one side for about 2-4 minutes, then flip and fry the other side for another 2-4 minutes. Remove from heat with the zucchini fritters are firm to the touch and golden brown and transfer to a paper-towel lined plate.
5. Continue frying in batches until all of the batter is gone. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

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