Summery Greek Tomato Fritters with Tzatziki from Maria Koutsogiannis

Maria Koutsogiannis built Food By Maria from a personal food blog into a full-blown Greek-Mediterranean universe: part recipe archive, part family table, part joyful reminder that olive oil, feta, herbs, and a little drama can carry you very far. Summers spent in Greece as a child and early years working in her parents’ Greek diner shaped Koutsogiannis, who now reaches a global audience with her bright, unfussy cooking and big-hearted “Greek Mommy” persona.

Her first cookbook, GREEK OUT: Sunny Vibes, High-Energy Mediterranean Flavor, out September 8 from Voracious, gathers more than 120 recipes rooted in Greek tradition but not trapped by it: the kind of food meant for loud tables, generous plates, and people who understand that “just a little dip” is almost never just a little dip.

These tomato keftedes are exactly that spirit in fritter form. A Greek island classic, especially beloved in Santorini, they make the most of tomatoes at their sunniest, when one more raw tomato salad feels like a personal threat. Instead, the tomatoes are chopped with red onion, feta, mint, parsley, dill, and oregano, then fried in olive oil until crisp-edged and golden. Served hot with garlicky tzatziki for dunking, they taste like summer.

Maria Koutsogiannis

Tomato Keftedes (Tomato Fritters)

These fritters are sort of a Greek cooking deep cut. They’re not traditional on mainland Greece; in fact, I can already hear, “I lived in Greece, and I’ve never had these.” Well, listen, Susan, these are common on the islands, especially in Santorini. They are what you make when the tomatoes are at their peak sun- kissed sweetness and yet you’d really rather not see another raw tomato salad. Instead, we chop ’em up, throw in a bunch of herbs from the garden (mint, parsley, dill), some feta, and fry them in really good olive oil. Extra credit if you’re seasoning them with hands that are still salty from your afternoon swim.

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Servings: 10 fritters

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 5 or 6 tomatoes on the vine finely chopped (about 3 cups)
• Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 1 cup all- purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 medium red onion diced (¾ cup)
• 1 cup freshly crumbled feta cheese 8 ounces
• ¼ cup chopped fresh mint leaves
• ¼ cup chopped fresh flat- leaf parsley leaves
• ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Extra- virgin olive oil for pan- frying
• The Tzatziki see below

Method

 

1. PREP THE TOMATOES: Place the tomatoes in a colander set in the sink and add a few big pinches of salt. Stir and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
2. MAKE THE BATTER: In a small bowl, mix together the flour and
3. baking powder. Stir the tomatoes and onion together in a medium bowl. Mix in the feta and all the herbs. Add the flour mixture along with ½ teaspoon salt and the pepper and stir until well combined. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before frying (this helps the fritters keep their shape while frying).
4. MAKE THE FRITTERS: Give the tomato mixture a stir. Pour enough olive oil into a large skillet to generously cover the entire bottom of the pan and set over medium heat. Scoop ¼ cup of the tomato mixture into the pan and gently press down with a spatula to flatten slightly; the fritter should be about ½ inch thick. Add a few more scoops — I usually fry two or three at a time (you’ll need to fry in batches to ensure maximum crispness). Fry for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden brown — you’ll know a fritter is ready to flip if the spatula easily slides underneath. Flip and fry on the second sides for another 3 to 4 minutes. The fritters should be golden and heated all the way through. If they need a little more time, flip one final time. Remove from the pan and place on a paper towel–lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
5. SERVE: Eat hot out of the pan with tzatziki for dunking.

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