Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, tomato fritters are one of the top dishes of summer – and even late summer.
Sweet tomatoes, plenty of onion, and fragrant mint create a delicious side dish that pairs perfectly with meat, fish, or vegetable dishes cooked in olive oil.
The basic recipe for tomato fritters requires tomatoes, onions, and whichever herbs everyone prefers or has available.
However, we often come across other interesting variations such as tomato fritters with feta, kefalotyri cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, or peppers.
The best tomato fritters I have ever tasted were a few years ago at Charitomeni’s tavern on the charming island of Symi. They were perfectly fried, without the slightest greasiness, and wonderfully fragrant thanks to the fresh mint and marjoram.
This year I decided it was finally time for tomato fritters for me. I thought I would avoid extra ingredients such as cheese, egg, zucchini, or peppers and focus on the flavor of the basic ingredients. That was probably a wise choice.
At the farmers’ market I found firm, ripe pomodoro tomatoes without excess seeds. I gathered plenty of mint and chopped the onion by hand with a knife so it would be noticeable when eating.
I made two attempts at tomato fritters—one fried in a pan and the other in a deep pot. I must admit that the second version, with the fritters swimming in the oil in the pot, was clearly better.
The tomato fritters fried faster, were completely submerged in oil, and the result reminded me of… loukoumades!
Make a refreshing yogurt dip and enjoy the tomato fritters with whatever food you have on your table.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 kg ripe and firm tomatoes or pomodoro tomatoes
- 2 large dry onions finely chopped or grated on the coarse side of a grater
- 2–3 spring onions finely chopped (including the tender green part)
- 1 double handful of fresh mint leaves
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano or a few sprigs fresh oregano
- 140–160 g self-raising flour or all-purpose flour with 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 30 ml olive oil
With the Foodurismo automatic ingredient converter, easily see how many grams or ml correspond to each cup. Try it here!
INSTRUCTIONS
Wash the tomatoes.
Keep a sharp knife with a thin blade and a strainer nearby.
Lightly press the tomatoes with the knife to make their skin easier to remove. Remove the skins from the tomatoes and then cut them into small cubes.
Place the chopped tomatoes in the strainer. Salt them and mix.
Leave them aside for 15–20 minutes until they release their juices. You can press them with a spoon so the liquid drains more easily.
Finely chop the dry onions and the spring onions. You can also grate the dry onions on the coarse side of a grater if you prefer.
Finely chop the mint or whichever other herbs you use.
Place everything together—onions and herbs—in a large bowl. Add the oregano, olive oil, pepper, salt, and mix well.
Finally, add the tomatoes to the bowl. Mix again.
Start adding the flour gradually while stirring.
You want the mixture to be slightly firm—firm enough so you can shape it into balls that hold their shape.
Pour oil into a deep frying pan or pot and once it is hot, add the tomato fritters.
Once they turn golden on one side, flip them to cook on the other side.
Remove the tomato fritters from the pan and place them on a platter lined with paper towels so the excess oil is absorbed.
Serve the tomato fritters with tzatziki or plain yogurt.
They are delicious even when they cool down.
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