Fritters are perfect for a crowd, because you can make them ahead and warm them through just before serving as a bite-sized snack. If the words “halloumi fritters” have your friends and family zooming towards a tray as quickly as mine, you might even want to double up on the quantities below. Unsurprisingly, these are also my children’s preferred way to eat courgettes.
Prep 20 min
Cook 20 min
Makes 25+
200g courgettes, trimmed and coarsely grated
Salt
200g halloumi, coarsely grated
200g drained chickpeas (jarred, ideally), mashed with a fork
40g plain flour
1 egg
4-5 tbsp olive oil
50g mayonnaise
50g greek yoghurt
Juice of ½ lemon
10g chopped dill
Put the grated courgette in a sieve with a pinch of salt, mix, then leave to sit for 10 minutes while you prep the other ingredients. Tip the courgette into a tea towel or kitchen roll, then squeeze it out to expel all the excess water.
In a large bowl, mix the courgette with the halloumi and mashed chickpeas until well incorporated, then stir in the flour and egg to make a thick batter.
Put a tablespoon of the oil in a large, nonstick frying pan on a medium heat, then, working in batches, scoop scant tablespoons of the fritter mixture into the hot oil, using a second tablespoon to nudge and shape them into neat rounds. Fry the fritters on a medium heat for two to three minutes on each side, until golden brown and cooked through, then transfer to a tray lined with kitchen paper to drain. Repeat until you’ve used up all the batter (with my largest frying pan, this usually takes four batches).
While the fritters are frying, mix the mayonnaise, yoghurt, lemon juice and dill in a small bowl and set aside. If you’re not eating the fritters straight away, leave to cool, then cover and refrigerate, along with the dip, until needed. Warm through in a 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4 for five minutes, then arrange on a platter and serve with the dip in a nice bowl in the middle.