Tasty small hop shoots fritters, very easy to prepare, cook in the pan in a few minutes and are excellent as an appetizer. Hop shoots are the sprouts of wild hop, a spontaneous herb very common here in Northern Italy. They can be found from March to May (depending on the climate), only the most tender tops are harvested, at an approximate length of about 8 inches. They have different names depending on the regions, they are especially used in the preparation of risottos, other first courses, and in combination with eggs… they have a delicate flavor that resembles a bit of spinach and in their season you can also find them in supermarkets. In this case, I harvested them in my parents’ garden, and I made these tasty and appetizing fritters!
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Frying
- Seasonality: Spring
- Energy 76.31 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 6.76 (g) of which sugars 0.30 (g)
- Proteins 4.18 (g)
- Fat 3.53 (g) of which saturated 1.35 (g)of which unsaturated 1.91 (g)
- Fibers 0.28 (g)
- Sodium 125.59 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 75 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 7 oz hop shoots (cleaned)
- Half red onion (or a spring onion)
- 2 eggs (medium)
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 oz Grana Padano cheese, grated
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast for savory preparations
- extra virgin olive oil
- peanut oil (for frying)
- salt
- pepper
Tools
- 2 Skillets
- Bowl
- Pot
- Strainer
- Paper towels
Preparation
Clean and wash the hop shoots under cold running water.
Boil them in slightly salted boiling water for about 5 minutes, drain, and let them cool. Then chop them into small pieces.
Chop the onion and sauté it in a pan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Add the hop shoots and let them flavor for a few minutes, adjusting the salt if necessary (1).
In a bowl, beat the eggs with salt and pepper. Add the flour, Grana Padano, and yeast. Mix with a whisk until you get a lump-free batter.
Add the hop shoots with the onion and mix (2).
Heat a pan with 3-4 tablespoons of peanut oil (or extra virgin if you prefer). With the help of two spoons, take some mixture (about half a tablespoon) at a time and place it in the pan (3).
Brown the fritters on both sides, turning them when you see a crust form. It will take very few minutes to cook, as they are ready, transfer them onto a sheet of frying paper.
The hop shoots fritters are ready to be served, alone or accompanied with yogurt sauce or creamy fresh cheese.
Tips and Notes
You can adapt the preparation using wild asparagus instead of hop shoots.
If you don’t want to boil the hop shoots, you can cook them directly in the pan with the onion, adding a bit of hot water or vegetable broth.
You can omit the yeast if you don’t have it, or replace it with a pinch of baking soda.
You can enrich the fritters with chopped speck or cooked ham.
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