Crispy Carrot Fritters with Chimichurri

Perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner

This recipe came about after online grocery order were what I thought was 1 bunch of carrots was actually 1kg.!! This quickly became a new favorite. If you don’t have chickpea flour, 2-3 eggs will easily replace it.

Makes: 10 fritters

4-5 large carrots (300g)

Optional: handful diced carrot top greens

1/2 red onion

3/4 cup (80g) chickpea flour

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

pinch sea salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

1/2 cup (115ml) water

Few teaspoons sunflower or olive oil

1. Using a box grater or food processor shred the carrots on the smallest hole and place in a large mixing bowl.

2. Add the optional carrot top greens to the bowl.

3. Slice the onion in half (cutting North Pole to South Pole). Peel and discard skin. Then cut off the North Pole and South Pole, so you have 2 flat sides, so the onion halves stand up. Then slice 1/2 of the onion (save other half) into thin slivers by cutting from top of flat side to bottom of flat side. Add to the mixing bowl.

4. In a small mixing bowl measure all the remaining ingredients (chickpea flour - water); whisk until combined.

5. Fold the above mixture in the grated carrots. The mixture will be fairly dry.

6. Preheat a cast iron or non-stick frying pan on medium high heat with a drizzle of sunflower or olive oil.

7. Pan-fry small mounds, that you pat down to flatten. Fry 2-3 minutes/side. Wipe pan from stray fried bits with a paper towel, re-oil and repeat until the batter is gone. Makes roughly 10 fritters.

8. Serve with lettuce leaves, lemon wedges and chimichurri sauce below.

Chimichurri Sauce

This makes a great marinade, salad dressing or drizzle on top of any fish or meat of your choice. We love this on top of monkfish, but you can’t go wrong. If desired, you can blanch the spring onion, parsley, coriander leaves to help retain their vibrant color if you intend to have it sit in the refrigerator a few days.

2½ Tablespoons (35ml) red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon sea salt

5 large garlic cloves

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes

2/3 cup (150ml) olive oil

4 spring onions

Small handful (10g) parsley

Large handful (20g) cilantro

Method:

1.    Measure the red wine vinegar into a small bowl and add 1 teaspoon sea salt.

2.    Thinly slice 5 garlic cloves and add to the red wine vinegar along with 1 teaspoon dried oregano and ½ teaspoon dried chili flakes.

3.    Measure 2/3 cup of olive oil and add to the bowl with vinegar.

4.    Thinly slice the tops of the spring onions and add to the vinegar & oil mixture.

5.    Finely chop the parsley and cilantro (stems & leaves) and add the vinegar & oil mixture.

6.    Mix well and serve over fish, meat or salad. Keeps for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.