Mücver
(Turkish zucchini fritters)
Image by wneuheisel
Dill and feta add fresh Mediterranean flavor to these delightful little zucchini pancakes or fritters from Turkey. Serve mücver with a variety of mezze appetizers or as a simple side dish for a meal.
Mücver is very roughly pronounced "mewj-vars."
4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
- Zucchini, grated -- 1 pound
- Kosher or sea salt -- 2 teaspoons
- All-purpose flour -- 1 cup
- Eggs, beaten -- 4
- Scallions, finely chopped -- 4 to 6
- Fresh dill, chopped -- 1/2 bunch
- Fresh parsley, chopped -- 1/2 bunch
- Feta, crumbled -- 1/2 cup
- Salt and pepper -- to taste
- Olive oil -- for pan frying
Method
- Grate the zucchini into a bowl and toss it with the salt. Set aside to rest for about 30 minutes. Then put the zucchini into a colander and squeeze out any excess liquid.
- Rinse out the bowl and add the flour and eggs. Beat until smooth, then stir in the grated zucchini, scallions, dill, parsley, feta and salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat about 1/4 inch of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high flame until it begins to shimmer. Working in batches, drop about 1/4 cup of the batter into the hot oil and flatten out to form patties. Repeat with enough of the batter to fill the skillet without overcrowding.
- Fry the mücver until browned on the bottom, 3 to 4 minutes, then flip and brown on the second side. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels and hold in a warm oven as you finish the rest of the fritters.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with cacik yogurt sauce (see tzatziki recipe variations).
Mücver Variations
- Baking the mücver: Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet with olive oil. Drop 1/4 cups of the batter evenly onto the sheet and smooth them out into little patties. Bake until browned on the bottom, about 8 minutes, then flip and brown on the other side, another 6 or 7 minutes.
- Other additions: Add one or two grated carrots to the batter. Add some chopped fresh mint. For a touch of heat, add a good dash of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.