Tomato fritters (domatokeftedes)

A specialty of Santorini, domatokeftedes are traditionally made with the island’s native tomato, which requires no watering and is small, sweet and incredibly flavourful from the volcanic soil. We’ve substituted roma tomatoes. These fritters can be served as part of a mezze platter – they are delicious dipped into tzatziki.

A specialty of Santorini, domatokeftedes are traditionally made with the island's native tomato. Credit: John Laurie

• makes

  18

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 kg ripe roma tomatoes, finely chopped
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• 300 g (2 cups) self-raising flour
• 2 tbsp mint leaves, chopped
• 2 tbsp curly parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp dried Greek oregano (see Note) (rigani)
• olive oil, to shallow fry
• lemon wedges, to serve

Instructions

Combine tomatoes, spring onions, flour and herbs in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper; the batter should be wet and sticky.

Heat 2 cm oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan over medium–high heat. Working in batches of 6, drop ¼ cup of batter into pan and lightly flatten. Cook for 2 minutes each side or until golden brown and cooked through. Drain on paper towel, season with salt and serve with lemon wedges.

Note

• Dried Greek oregano is sold on branches, from selected delis and greengrocers. Substitute regular oregano.

Photography by John Laurie.

As seen in Feast magazine, Jan 2012, Issue 5. For more recipes and articles, pick up a copy of this month's Feast magazine or check out our great subscriptions offers here.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.