Mexican Cauliflower Fritters
Mexican cauliflower fritters make an easy, quick meal...perfect for getting some extra vegetables into your weekly dinner rotation! Cauliflower pieces are steamed and then battered, fried, and finally put into a tomato-based sauce to simmer for a comforting homestyle Mexican meal.
Ingredients
- 1 lb cauliflower cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch pieces See notes
- 7-8 medium Roma tomatoes, quartered ~1.5 lbs
- 1/2 medium white onion, cut into large chunks ~4 ounces
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup broth I normally use chicken broth, but vegetable broth could be substituted
- 1 bay leaf
- salt to taste
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil I use canola, see notes
- 4 eggs, whites and yolks separated
- 1/4 cup flour See notes
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Steam cauliflower on high heat until fork-tender, about 11 minutes, set aside to cool1 lb cauliflower cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch pieces
- Blend tomatoes, onion, garlic, and broth on high speed in a blender until completely smooth, about 1 minute7-8 medium Roma tomatoes, quartered, 1/2 medium white onion, cut into large chunks, 2 cloves garlic, 1 cup broth
- Place tomato sauce mixture in a saucepan over medium heat, add bay leaf and salt to taste. Heat to boiling stirring occasionally, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently.1 bay leaf, salt to taste
- While the sauce is cooking, in a large non-stick skillet, add oil and heat over medium-high heat.1/2 cup vegetable oil
- Meanwhile, add egg whites to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip on high speed until stiff, about 1 1/2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and add in yolks, blending until incorporated, about 20 seconds more.4 eggs, whites and yolks separated
- Put flour on a plate and add salt and pepper to taste. Mix to incorporate.pepper to taste, 1/4 cup flour, salt to taste
- Set up an assembly line with the cauliflower on one side, followed by the plate with flour, then finally the whipped eggs. Working in batches, coat the cauliflower with flour and add to the bowl with the egg mixture.
- Using a spoon, scoop cauliflower pieces out of the bowl and place in the hot oil, ensuring that the cauliflower is completely coated with egg.
- Fry until golden on all sides, turning as necessary, 3-4 minutes total. I can fit between 4-5 cauliflower pieces in my frying pan at a time without overcrowding the pan.
- Remove fritters to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil
- Repeat the previous 4 steps until all cauliflower is coated and fried.
- Check the sauce for salt and add if necessary. Place completed fritters in sauce and heat through, about 5 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, add a bit more broth.
- Divide evenly among plates and serve
Notes
- A small head of cauliflower typically weighs more than 1 pound. I only use 1 pound for this recipe and save the rest for another use.
- Vegetable broth can be substituted for chicken broth to make this dish vegetarian.
- I typically use canola oil for frying, but you could substitute it with another oil if desired.
- Substitute cornstarch for all-purpose flour for a gluten-free option.