Mücver are a delicious Turkish fritter made from zucchini/courgette. Soft and fluffy with a delightful crispy skin, they're the perfect little appetizer or side dish. Herbaceous, fragrant and utterly delicious morsels of flavour.
Coarsely grate the zucchini and red onion then place on a clean tea towel.
Gather up the edges and twist to form a ball to squeeze out as much water as you can. It's hard going, but make sure you get as much out as possible for the best results when frying.
Tip the drained zucchini and onion into a bowl and combine with all the other mücver ingredients (except the oil)
Heat about a 1-inch depth of oil in a large, non-stick, frying pan over a medium/high heat until hot but not smoking - around 350/375ºF/175-180ºC if you have a kitchen thermometer.
Take a heaped tablespoon of batter and carefully drop it in to the oil. Repeat with about 6-7 fritters per batch. Leave the fritters for about 2 minutes and then using a flipper, flip to over and cook for another 2 minutes on the other side. They should be a deep brown but not burnt. Reduce the heat a little if they appear to be cooking too dark, too quickly.
Remove the cooked fritters and drain on some waiting paper towels.
Repeat this process until you've used up all your batter.
You can serve right away on a large platter scattered with a little more feta, lemon and a light sprinkling of Aleppo pepper (pul biber) (optional).
You can also let them cool and either eat at room temperature or heat in a hot oven for 5-8 minutes when you're ready.
For the Yoghurt & Tahini Sauce
Whisk together all the ingredients and dilute with up to ⅓ cup water, to give you a thick, creamy texture like whipping cream. Serve alongside the mücver as a dipping sauce.
Notes
The Batter Mix
Don't make the batter mix in advance, zucchini are full of water and they continue to release liquid into the mix. It'll become watery and affect the Mücver as they're fried. Best to mix the batter and fry right away.
Eating Mücver
Mücver best eaten as soon as they're fried, but can also be reheated from chilled for 5-6 minutes in a 400ºF/200ºC oven. You can also eat Mücver at room temperature too.
Storing and preserving
Mücver will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days and you can freeze them too.
To freeze - lay out the cooked Mücver in a single layer on a tray lined with greaseproof paper. When frozen solid, tip them into a freezer bag and keep for up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen in a single layer for 10-15 minutes, or thaw and reheat for 5-6 minutes in a 400ºF/200ºC oven
GarnishesIn Turkey pul biber or Aleppo pepper flakes are sprinkled over for colour and a mild chilli flavour. I also like to serve a Yoghurt Tahini sauce made from 2 tbsp yoghurt, 1 tbsp tahini paste, 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 garlic clove (minced), 1-2 tbsp lemon juice and S&P.I also often scatter over more fresh herbs and a handful of feta cheese. Lemons are always part of the garnish to bring everything to life.