Kolokithokeftedes (Greek Zucchini and Feta Fritters)

About Kolokithokeftedes (Greek Zucchini and Feta Fritters)

Kolokithokeftedes are Greek zucchini and feta fritters, a staple of the meze table and a clever way to use up summer squash. The tongue-twisting name simply combines the Greek words for zucchini and keftedes (fritters or little patties), placing them in the same family as the country's meatballs and other fried bites. They're the sort of thing you'd find as part of a spread of small plates in a taverna, meant for sharing, dipping, and grazing over drinks. This version keeps them straightforward — grated zucchini bound with feta, egg, and flour, brightened with dill and scallion.

The make-or-break step is squeezing the water out of the salted grated zucchini, which is what lets the fritters fry up crisp on the outside rather than soggy. Inside they stay tender and moist, studded with salty pockets of feta and threaded with fresh dill and the mild bite of scallion. Fried in hot oil until golden and drained, they're best eaten hot when the contrast between crackly edges and soft center is sharpest. They're traditionally served with a cool, garlicky tzatziki alongside, the yogurt cutting the richness of the fry, and they work equally well as an appetizer, a light lunch, or one dish among many on a shared table.