Let’s take a savory twist on fritter that’s usually fried up sweet with Lemon Herb Ricotta Fritters with a secret ingredient to make a super crispy crust!
This post is sponsored on behalf of Pasta Chips. As always all opinions are my own and thank you for supporting brands that I work with.
Want to know a secret?
I’m a snacker of the worst kind. People tend to assume that I go for the sweet foods since I own a Bake Shop and have sweets around all the time and that’s not totally inaccurate but I also love my salty foods. Here’s how my snacking usually goes: I come home from work, usually starving and I start to root around for something to eat. I shouldn’t because a) it’ll ruin my appetite for dinner and b) it’ll ruin my waist line but I do it anyway. What I’m seeking is something salty, a chip does the trick, I have a few and then put them away to start dinner. We eat dinner, let it digest for 20-30 minutes and then the need for something sweet hits.
Now you know why I need to work out and also why I want my snacks to be organic or non-GMO. If I’m going to eat something that isn’t a fruit or vegetable, at least let it be made with the best ingredients.
This is also why I want you to meet my new snack friend the Pasta Chip!
The what? Don’t be fooled by the name, like me, you will fall in love with these crispy baked chips made with semolina flour and Italian herbs. They are like pasta but so much better, with four flavors to choose from and they are all made with non-GMO ingredients!
So after the initial snacking was complete, it was time to think of what to do with my Pasta Chips. It was too dangerous to keep them around and making a dip just provokes me into snacking more.
I decided in the end, they’d make the perfect crust for a fritter. Wanting to stay in the whole Italian theme of things, I whipped up some savory ricotta fritters using local ricotta from my cheese shop.
You guys, you have never had fritters like this before, light, herby and airy on the inside with a crust that goes CRUNCH thanks to the Pasta Chips.
They are a project to make and a little bit of a mess but if I can get over my fear of frying at home to make these then you can do it too. Get the family involved (although mom or dad, you better do the frying) and let everyone get their hands dirty. Just remember, the key is all fresh ingredients – there is a big difference in taste between ricotta that was just freshly made and one that’s mass marketed and has been sitting on the shelf for a few weeks.
Get in the kitchen and get frying and oh, here’s $1 off coupon to pick up Pasta Chips for that crispy crunchy crust!
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 24 ounces fresh ricotta
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 eggs + 2 egg yolks + 2 eggs for breading
- 1 cup flour plus extra for breading
- 1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 - 5 ounce bags Pasta Chips (sea salt & garlic olive oil flavors recommended) finely crushed
- Sunflower oil for frying
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the ricotta, herbs, lemon zest, eggs, egg yolks, 1 cup flour, 1/4 parmigiano cheese, salt and pepper. Stir well and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes.
- In a dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, fill it with enough oil to reach 2 inches deep and using a frying thermometer heat to 350 degrees F. over medium to medium-high heat.
- While the oil is heating and the batter is chilling set up your breading station.
- Set up 3 bowls, one with about 1 cup of flour, seasoned with salt and pepper, 1 bowl with 2 eggs, beaten and seasoned and 1 bowl with the crushed Pasta Chips.
- Once everything is ready to go, spoon out about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of batter and place it in the flour - the batter will be messy to handle just with your hands. Use a spoon to transfer it to the egg wash.
- Using another spoon, cover it with egg and then transfer it to the crushed Pasta Chips to coat completely.
- Very carefully drop the fritter in the oil and fry 3-4 minutes on each side or until the fritter is golden brown. Using a slotted spoon transfer to a paper towel lined baking sheet and sprinkle with kosher salt.
- Continue with the remaining batter until all the fritters are made.
- A few notes: I don't recommend frying more than 3-4 fritters at once otherwise the temperature of the oil will drop too low and you'll end up with greasy fritters. In between each batch, let the temperature of the oil rise back to 350 degrees.
- If you want to keep the fritters warm while frying, heat your oven to 200 degrees and keep the tray in there.
- Leftover fritters should be refrigerated and reheated in your oven.
- If you'd like to serve a dipping sauce on the side, I recommend a spicy marinara.
Now I’m drooling and starving and I haven’t had breakfast yet. Is it appropriate to have these for breakfast? 🙂
It is absolutely appropriate to have them for breakfast!
What a fun recipe!! These sound so amazing!
Snackers unite! I am all about that salty crunch. And look at that crust on these babies.
I’m really wishing I had a plate of these for dinner right now! The crunchy crust with the creamy herb filling sounds divine!
I’ll take salty over sweet any day! This is my kind of snack all around! I too could get over my fear of frying to have these fritters on my table! Pinned!
I can’t stand to fry either Gwen but it wasn’t too bad with these! Just make sure to use a large pot to avoid splatter!
These look so good! I love fritters and I think these would be so warm and comforting – I can’t wait to try them out. Thanks for submitting!
You sound exactly like me! I usually end up snacking while prepping for dinner because dinner isn’t ready yet. I’ve never had ricotta fritters before let alone with a crunchy Pasta Chip batter. Can’t wait to try these!
I’m a savory snacker too, and am now intrigued by (and craving) these pasta chips. And I love that you used them as the crispy crust for these fritters.
Wow, these look absolutely delicious and oh so crispy. I love the bright, vibrant flavors. Pinned.
Oh my gosh, I am just in love with all of the flavors of these little bites! I can tell just from the photos how crunchy that Pasta Chips crust is! Pinned!
OH MY! What a fab recipe. I can see myself being an impolite
pig with these perfectly golden brown fritters. You did good.
I’m kind of fritter-obsessed but I’ve never even heard of making them with ricotta. Yum!! I bet the pasta chip breading gives them an amazing flavor, too!
I can’t find pasta chips at my local stores and I’m getting nervous because I WANT to taste these fritters! Can you tell me what could I use instead of these pasta chips? Thanks!
Hi Sylvie – I think any type of baked cracker would do for the fritters. Did you try the store locator on Pasta Chips website? They do add some extra flavor thanks to the herbs already baked into the chips. That’s awesome that you’ve tried looking, I hope you might be able to find them and let me know how the fritters turn out for you!