There just aren’t enough crookneck squash recipes out there, but in the absence of quantity, I bring you quality – one very good recipe in the form of these shovel-in-your-mouth-good Crookneck Squash Fritters.

Made with the summer squash you know and love, these yellow squash fritters cook up golden and crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Served with a lemony sour cream and with lots of basil everywhere, these crookneck squash fritters might just become your new summer staple.

Crookneck Squash vs. Summer Squash vs. Yellow Squash

The nomenclature is a little confusing, though, isn’t it? Summer squash is a category which includes zucchini and crookneck squash, but “summer squash” also a synonym for yellow squash, which is also what many people call crookneck squash. Gaaaah!

Crookneck squash is essentially an heirloom version of the more zucchini-shaped yellow squash. The crooked neck is basically just bred out of the straighter, more uniformly oblong version of yellow squash. (Read more about this lemon-yellow squash in my Crookneck Squash Guide!)

Crookneck Squash Fritters Ingredients

The list of ingredients for these Crookneck Squash Fritters is pretty simple! We’ve got:

  • Crookneck squash (a.k.a. yellow squash)
  • Onion – grated so it blends in nicely
  • Lots of fresh basil
  • Flour
  • Eggs
  • Salt & pepper

And that’s it!

How to Make Them

We follow the basic steps for other summer squash fritters, which is to grate the squash, then mix it with salt and let it sit for a few minutes to draw out the liquid. This helps make sure your fritters aren’t soggy and wet. No one wants soggy and wet fritters!

Then, we mix the drained squash with the remaining ingredients to form the “dough.”

From there, heat olive oil in a pan and get to frying your delicious fritters!

And then we have the sour cream situation. I don’t know about you, but I think a fritter is not a fritter without a nice bit of creamy sauce, and usually for me, this means sour cream.

Here, I take that sour cream and flavor it up with lemon and a pinch of salt. The cool, zingy sauce serves as is the perfect counterpoint for the savory golden fritters.

This easy summertime lunch or dinner is the perfect way to, um, fritter away the warm summer days.

Love fritters? Try these zucchini fritters!

4.41 from 5 ratings

Crookneck Squash Fritters

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Author: Karen
Yield: 4
Just a few minutes – and a handful of ingredients – to fritter greatness! These simple summertime fritters are the perfect way to make use of this prolific yellow squash.
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Ingredients

For the fritters:

  • 2 medium crookneck squash (aka yellow squash; grated [1 1/2 pounds squash or about 4 cups grated])
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves (lightly packed, chopped, plus more basil for topping if desired)
  • 2 teaspoons grated yellow onion
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Olive oil for cooking

For the sour cream:

  • 1/2 cup sour cream (low fat or full fat – both work)
  • zest from 1 small lemon
  • 2 teapoons fresh lemon juice
  • Pinch kosher salt

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, toss together the grated squash and the salt. Line a fine-mesh sieve with several layers of paper towels or cheesecloth. Add salted squash to the sieve and place over a bowl to drain. Let sit for five minutes then gather up the sides of paper towels or cheesecloth and gently squeeze the liquid out of the squash (there will probably be quite a bit).
  • Add the egg to a medium bowl and beat lightly with a fork. Add the flour, basil, onion, black pepper, and the squash. Stir with fork to combine.
  • Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 – 2 tablespoons of olive oil, enough to lightly coat most of the bottom of the skillet. Once the oil is hot, add fritter mixture to pan in approximately 2 tablespoon increments, working quickly to spread the fritter into a round shape before it begins to cook. I usually cook 3 fritters at a time; any more and the pan gets crowded and it's hard to manage them all. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until golden brown, and flip to cook the other side until golden and the fritter is cooked through, about 1-2 more minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Add more oil to the pan and repeat with remaining batter.
  • To make the sour cream topping, add the sour cream, zest, juice, and salt to a bowl and stir to combine.
  • Serve fritters right away, topped with a drizzle of lemony sour cream and garnish with basil leaves if desired.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 2fritters, Calories: 180kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 58mg, Sodium: 1190mg, Potassium: 329mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 593IU, Vitamin C: 18mg, Calcium: 58mg, Iron: 1mg
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