Grated cauliflower, steamed and squeezed dry, bound with egg, breadcrumbs and cheese, then flattened into discs and fried in butter. No batter, no pan of oil. Twenty-five minutes and four servings.
The water is the whole problem
Cauliflower is mostly water, and grating it and then steaming it gets almost all of that water loose. The original recipe said to drain it well in a colander, which is not enough. Draining takes off what runs; the rest is held in the shreds.
Squeeze it. Let it cool enough to handle, then wring it in a clean tea towel or press it hard between your hands. You will be surprised how much comes out, and every drop that stays in is a drop working against the egg and breadcrumbs that are meant to be holding the fritter together.
This one step is the difference between a patty that browns and a patty that steams itself apart in the pan.
Not a battered fritter
Most recipes called cauliflower fritters dip florets in batter and drop them in hot oil. This is a different thing. The cauliflower is grated, so it becomes the body of the fritter rather than something suspended in one, and it is bound with egg, breadcrumbs and cheese into a mixture you can knead.
Then it goes into a skillet with a little butter, not a pan of oil. Four minutes a side over medium-high heat. Butter browns faster than oil, so keep the heat off maximum and wipe the pan between batches if it starts to darken.
Getting them the same size
Take a spoonful, roll it into a ball, flatten it into a disc. The recipe says any size you like, and that is true, but keep them even within a batch or the small ones burn while the large ones are still raw in the middle.
Thickness matters more than diameter. A thick fritter needs longer than four minutes a side to heat through, and by then the outside is past golden.
What is in them
Four hundred and fifty grams of cauliflower, one egg, a hundred grams of grated cheese and four tablespoons of breadcrumbs, seasoned with garlic, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. That is the whole list, and it makes four servings.
The garlic is worth pointing out because the original method never mentioned it: it was on the shopping list and appeared in none of the six steps. It goes into the bowl with everything else.
More cauliflower
- Cauliflower gratin — with a garlic béchamel.
- Cauliflower rice — grated the same way, but not cooked into patties.
- Cauliflower cream soup — for the rest of the head.
- Cauliflower pizza base — the same squeezing problem, larger scale.
Cauliflower Fritters FAQ
Because grated and steamed, it holds a lot of water, and that water is what makes fritters fall apart in the pan or come out soggy in the middle. Draining in a colander is not enough. Wring it in a clean tea towel until no more liquid comes out.
No. They are flattened into discs and cooked in a skillet with a little butter, about 4 minutes a side. There is no batter and no pan of oil, which is what separates them from most cauliflower fritter recipes.
Add breadcrumbs a spoonful at a time and knead again. Either the cauliflower was not squeezed dry enough or the head was a wet one. The mixture is ready when you can roll a ball that does not crack when you flatten it.
The recipe as written is a skillet recipe and the butter is part of the flavour. If you bake them, they will dry rather than brown, so they come out paler and firmer.
The recipe asks for 100 grams of grated cheese without naming one. Anything that melts and has some salt in it works. In Colombia this would be queso campesino; a mature cheese brings more flavour and more salt, so hold back on the seasoning.
The last step says whatever sauce you like. They work as a side to meat, or on their own with something sharp alongside.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 450 grams cauliflower (one small head)
- 100 grams cheese (grated)
- 1 egg
- 4 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- 1 clove garlic (crushed)
- A sprig of parsley (chopped)
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- A spoonful of butter (for the pan)
Notas
Instructions
- Wash the cauliflower well, grate it and steam it for about 8 minutes. Tip it into a colander, let it cool enough to handle, then squeeze it hard with your hands or in a clean tea towel. Grated cauliflower holds a surprising amount of water and it has to come out.
- Put the cauliflower in a bowl with the egg, the cheese, the breadcrumbs, the parsley, the garlic, the oregano, salt and pepper, and mix until everything is evenly combined.
- Knead for 3 minutes, until the mixture holds together and can be shaped.
- Take a portion of the mixture, roll it into a ball and flatten it into a disc. Any size you like, but keep them even so they cook at the same rate.
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with a little butter and lay in the fritters. Cook for about 4 minutes a side, until golden.
- Serve hot, with whatever sauce you like alongside.
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