I have been thinking about zucchini pancakes a lot recently. I remember my mom making some very quickly with whatever herbs she had lying around. I could not eat them fast enough. With zucchini in peak season, the time is now. I adapted this version from Sydney Oland’s recipe for Zucchini and Dill Pancakes on Serious Eats and went for a more southwestern riff (mostly because I didn’t have any dill). They were delicious – even better than I imagined – and fast for a light, lazy Sunday lunch. I added a fried egg for some protein and healthy fat, and because eggs make veggies into a meal. Note: these are pancakes, not fritters, so the consistency is soft, not crunchy.
Makes 6-8 pancakes.
2 medium zucchini, grated
Kosher salt
¼ jalapeño, diced finely
¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
2 scallions, sliced thinly on the bias
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt plus more for serving
cumin to taste
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 eggs (optional)
Toss grated zucchini with ½ teaspoon salt and place in a strainer over a bowl. Let drain for 8 minutes. Place handfuls of zucchini in the center of a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth and squeeze to drain as much liquid as possible.
Place drained zucchini in a large bowl and toss with jalapeño, cilantro, half the scallions, and Greek yogurt. Whisk together flour and baking powder and sprinkle over zucchini mixture. Toss zucchini mixture with dry ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Stir cumin in the extra yogurt for serving.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add batter by the ¼ cup, gently flatten with a spatula and cook until brown, about 3 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until both sides are brown. Remove from skillet and keep warm while you cook the rest of the pancakes in the remaining butter.
Fry the eggs in the same pan.
Serve topped with cumin yogurt, remaining scallions, cilantro sprigs, and fried eggs.