Zucchini and Corn Fritters

Preheat your oven to 200º, unless you are going to serve the fritters immediately.

Trim ends off zucchini and grate them either on the large holes of a box grater or the shredding blade of a food processor.

Toss the grated zucchini with the salt and set aside for 10 minutes. Then, you want to get as much water out of the zucchini as you can. Wring out the zucchini in one of the following ways: pressing it against the holes of a colander with a wooden spoon to extract the water, squeezing out small handfuls at a time, or wrapping it up in a clean dishtowel or piece of cheese cloth and wringing away.

Put the zucchini back in the bowl, salt a tiny bit more, and add the corn, onion, egg, and pepper. In a small, separate bowl, stir together the flour and the baking powder, then stir this into the zucchini.

In a large, heavy bottomed skillet (cast iron is best if you have it), heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Drop small bunches of the batter into the hot pan. Flatten them a bit with your spatula.

Cook the fritters over moderately high heat until the edges underneath are golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. If you find this happening too quickly, reduce the heat to medium. Flip the fritters and fry them on the other side until browned underneath again, about 2 to 3 minutes more. Drain briefly on paper towels then transfer to baking sheet and then into the warm oven until needed. Repeat process, keeping the pan well-oiled, with remaining batter. 10 minutes in the oven will help the fritters finish setting and getting extra crisp.

For the topping, if using, stir together the sour cream, lemon juice, zest, salt and garlic and adjust the flavors to your taste. Dollop on each fritter before serving. These fritters are also delicious with a poached or fried egg on top, trust me.

Do ahead: These fritters keep well, either chilled in the fridge for the better part of a week and or frozen in a well-sealed package for months. When you’re ready to use them, simply spread them out on a tray in a 325 degree oven until they’re hot and crisp again.