Based off of the broccoli and cottage cheese pancakes from Adeena Sussman’s book, Sababa, these lemony, herb-filled green pea fritters are delicate and faintly crisp, equally excellent eaten hot out of the pan or at room temperature.
The cottage cheese might seem like an unusual addition. One bite and the importance of its role is revealed. It dissolves into the fritters, creating a lacy network of molten cheese throughout, offering moisture and an extra boost of protein with no trace of gumminess. Stick with whole-milk cottage cheese. If yours is thick and not too runny, reduce the flour to ¼ cup so the fritters stay airy and light.
The frozen green peas are a calculated choice—blissfully economical and so conveniently sized they can be tossed into the batter straight from frozen, where they thaw in the heat of the pan by the time the fritters are set. Always buy frozen green peas labelled “sweet” or “baby”; they tend to be the most tender with none of the grassy, muddy flavors of their larger, starchier siblings.
Ingredients
2
8
¼
1
1
1
½
⅓
1
8
8
Preparation
-
Step 1
Using a fork, mix 2 large eggs, 8 oz. whole-milk cottage cheese (about 1 cup), ¼ cup finely chopped tender herbs (such as dill and/or parsley), 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper, 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest, and ½ tsp. garlic powder in a medium bowl to combine. Add ¹⁄₃ cup all-purpose flour and 1 tsp. baking powder and mix with a rubber spatula, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, to combine. Add 8 oz. frozen sweet or baby green peas (about 1½ cups) and mix to incorporate evenly (some pockets of batter might freeze; that’s okay).
Step 2
Heat 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a medium skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium. Drop 2 Tbsp. batter (a #30 ice cream scoop works great) into skillet and flatten slightly so peas are in a single layer. Repeat to make 2 or 3 more fritters. Cook until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer fritters to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet; season lightly with salt. Repeat with remaining batter and 6 Tbsp. vegetable oil in 3 more batches. (You should have 14 fritters total.)
Step 3
Serve fritters with lemon wedges for squeezing over.
