Recipe: Herby Haloumi and Zucchini Fritters
- Words by Peppermint
Brisbane-based food writer Clare Scrine has released a new cookbook that ticks a lot of our food boxes – her recipes are big on communal eating, low on cost and simple on our easily-baffled brains. Drawing culinary inspiration from her years spent sharehousing around Brissie, ‘The Shared Table’ features vegan and vegetarian recipes to enjoy with friends, and each has a different theme – think everything from a brekkie spread menu and a hungover brunch, to a Mediterranean dinner party and a Mexican-inspired feast. Here, we’re featuring her recipe for deliciously easy fritters that include the mighty king of squeaky cheese – halloumi. Enjoy!
These fritters are a really quick and easy way to escape a routine toast-based brekkie. They’re delicious served with sour cream and chutney, with chilli sauce, on their own, or as part of a brunch spread – however you like! I love them with eggs, rocket (arugula), avocado and hollandaise sauce. They’re even pretty good cold the next day.
Makes about 15 fritters · gluten-free option, leftovers friendly, freezer friendly.
Ingredients
3 medium zucchini (courgettes), grated
250 g (9 oz) haloumi, grated
½ bunch dill, chopped
½ bunch mint, chopped
3 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped
zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 eggs, whisked
100 g (3½ oz/²⁄³ cup) self-raising flour (or gluten-free flour)
1 tsp salt
100–200 ml (3½–7 fl oz) olive oil, for pan-frying
Method
Put all the grated zucchini in a colander. Sprinkle liberally with salt and let it sit for 10 minutes.
Rinse the salt off, then squeeze all the water out of the zucchini; this is essential for crispy fritters. Pat dry with a clean cloth.
Transfer the zucchini to a bowl and add all the remaining ingredients, except the cooking oil. Stir well to combine.
Heat a large frying pan with a big glug of olive oil, enough to cover the pan by at least 5 mm (¼ inch). Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the fritter mixture in heaped tablespoon quantities.
Allow each fritter to fry until golden brown underneath (about 1–2 minutes), then flip. Press them down slightly to ensure the middle is cooking. Reduce the heat and cook for a further 2–3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
The fritters are best served fresh and hot, but are easily brought back to life in a frying pan or warm oven once chilled.
Note: I grate the zucchini and haloumi using the grating attachment of a food processor, which makes it incredibly easy. A box grater will do fine, though.
THE SHARED TABLE IS PUBLISHED BY SMITH STREET BOOKS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SIMON & SCHUSTER, AND IS AVAILABLE NOW AT ALL GOOD BOOKSHOPS. PHOTOS BY SAVANNAH VAN DER NIET.
JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
Brighten up your inbox with our not-too-frequent emails featuring Peppermint-related news, events, competitions and more!
explore
More articles
Look, I don’t want to make anyone panic but IT’S DECEMBER!!! If you’re planning to give homemade gifts, you’re going to have to act fast. …
Hang out with us on Instagram
🌻 The Paddington 🌻
This is a much-loved staple, created for Issue 50 in 2021. We love seeing the #PeppermintPaddingtonTop continually popping up in our feeds!
How stunning is our model Elon MelaninGoddessEfon – she told us it was one of the first times she had been asked to come to a shoot with her natural hair. 🌻
We worked with South African patternmaker Sarah Steenkamp of @FrenchNavyNow_ to create this wardrobe essential – the perfect puff-sleeve blouse. Raglan sleeves make it the ultimate beginner sew, plus the gorgeous back buttons let you add your own personal twist.
Pattern via the link in bio! 🪡
Photos: @KelleySheenan
Fabric: @Spoonflower
Model: MelaninGoddessEfon
“In the 1940’s, Norwegians made and wore red pointed hats with a tassel as a form of visual protest against Nazi occupation of their country. Within two years, the Nazis made these protest hats illegal and punishable by law to wear, make, or distribute. As purveyors of traditional craft, we felt it appropriate to revisit this design.”
Crafters have often been at the heart of many protest movements, often serving as a powerful means of political expression. @NeedleAndSkein, a yarn store in Minnesota, are helping to mobilise the craftivists of the world with a ‘Melt The Ice’ knitting pattern created by @Yarn_Cult (with a crochet pattern too), as a way of peaceful protest.
The proceeds from the $5 pattern will go to local immigrant aid organisations – or you can donate without buying the pattern.
Raise those needles, folks – art and craft can change the world. 🧶
Link in bio for the pattern.
Images: @Gather_Fiber @NeedleAndSkein @a2ina2 @KyraGiggles Sandi.204 @WhatTracyMakes AllieKnitsAway Auntabwi2
#MeltTheIce #Craftivism #Knitting #CraftForChange
TWO WEEKS TO GO! 🤩
"The most important shift is moving from volume-led buying to value-led curation – choosing fewer, better products with strong ethics, considered production and meaningful stories. Retailers have real influence here: what you buy signals what you stand for. At Life Instyle, this means using the event to discover and invest in small-scale, planet-considerate brands that align with your values and your customer’s conscience. Consumers don’t need more things; they need better things, and retailers play a key role in selecting, contextualising, and championing why those products matter."
Only two more weeks until @Life_Instyle – Australia`s leading boutique retail trade show. If you own a store, don`t miss this event! Connect with designers, source exquisite – and mindful – products, and see firsthand why this is Australia’s go-to trade show for creatives and retailers alike. And it`s free! ✨️
Life Instyle – Sydney/Eora Country
14-17 February 2026
ICC, Darling Harbour
Photos: @Samsette
#LifeInstyle #SustainableShopping #SustainableShop #RetailTradeEvent
Calling all sewists! 📞
Have you made the Peppermint Waratah Wrap Dress yet? Call *1800 I NEED THIS NOW to get making!
This gorgeous green number was modelled (and made) by the fabulous Lisa of @Tricky.Pockets 🙌🏼
If you need a nudge, @ePrintOnline are offering Peppermint sewists a huge 🌟 30% off ALL A0 printing 🌟 when you purchase the Special Release Waratah Wrap Dress pattern – how generous is that?!
Head to the link in bio now 📞
*Not a real number in case that wasn`t clear 😂
#PeppermintWaratahWrapDress #PeppermintPatterns #SewingPattern #WrapDress #WrapDressPattern
8 Things to Know About January 26 - from @ClothingTheGaps:
Before you celebrate, take the time to learn the truth. January 26 is not a day of unity it’s a Day of Mourning and Survival for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
It marks the beginning of invasion, dispossession, and ongoing colonial violence. It’s time for truth-telling, not whitewashed history.
Stand in solidarity. Learn. Reflect. Act.
✊🏽 Blog written by Yorta Yorta woman Taneshia Atkinson.
🔗 Link in bio of @ClothingTheGaps to read the full blog
#ChangeTheDate #InvasionDay #SurvivalDay #AlwaysWasAlwaysWillBe #ClothingTheGaps
As the world careens towards AI seeping into our feeds, finds and even friend-zones, it`s becoming increasingly hard to ignore.
We just wanted to say that here at Peppermint, we are choosing to not print or publish AI-generated art, photos, words, videos or content.
Merriam-Webster’s human editors chose `slop` as the 2025 Word of the Year – they define it as “digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence.” The problem is, as AI increases in quality, it`s becoming more and more difficult to ascertain what`s real and what`s not.
Let`s be clear here, AI absolutely has its place in science, in climate modelling, in medical breakthroughs, in many places... but not in replacing the work of artists, writers and creatives.
Can we guarantee that everything we publish is AI-free? Honestly, not really. We know we are not using it to create content, but we are also relying on the artists, makers and contributors we work with, as well as our advertisers, to supply imagery, artwork or words created by humans. AI features are also creeping into programs and apps too, making it difficult to navigate. But we will do our best to avoid it and make a stand for the artists and creatives who have had their work stolen and used to train AI machines, and those who are now losing work as they are replaced by this energy-sapping, environment-destroying magic wand.
Could using it help our productivity and bottom line? Sure. And as a small business in a difficult landscape, that`s a hard one to turn down. We know other publishers who use AI to write stories, create recipes, produce photo shoots... but this one is important to us.
`Touch grass` was also a Merriam-Webster Word of the Year. We`ll happily stick with that as a theme, thanks very much. 🌿
