Mussel Fritters

Stack of mussel fritters with a couple of lemon wedges, a fork and a small bowl of salad behind
Mmm, mussel fritters. A kiwi staple. A little bit like whitebait fritters but a whole lot gruntier. This NZ mussel fritter recipe is soooo easy (bonus), and with a great mix of protein, fats and complex carbohydrates, this dish is super healthy too!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Appetiser, Brunch, Lunch
Cuisine New Zealand
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
 
 

  • 350-400 g mussel meat
  • 2 free range eggs separated
  • ¼ cup self-raising flour
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 1 large handful parsley finely chopped
  • 1 large spring onion finely sliced
  • vegetable oil for frying

Instructions
 

  • Mince or finely chop the mussel meat – a food processor is fine for this purpose.
  • Combine egg yolks, flour and milk to make a batter.
  • Mix in the minced mussels, parsley and spring onion.
  • Season with salt and pepper.
  • Whisk egg whites until stiff and fold in.
  • Heat enough oil in a frying pan to shallow-fry the fritters.
  • Use a tablespoon to measure dollops of mixture into the hot oil.
  • Cook on both sides over medium heat until fritters are crispy brown and cooked through.
  • Serve with a crisp salad made of cherry tomatoes and crispy lettuce with lemon wedges or a lemon mayonnaise.

Notes

About New Zealand mussels:
NZ Mussel sizes are quite variable but, as a rough guide, 1kg of farmed green-lipped mussels (15-20) will yield 250-300g of mussel meat. The mussels should be scrubbed well under cold running water (discard any that don’t close) then steamed open in a little water in a pan with a tight-fitting lid. Give the mussels plenty of heat and remove them from the pan in batches as they open. It is easier to remove the beards after the shells have opened.
Keyword kid friendly, popular recipes
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

11 Comments

  1. Renee Borovich on 18/03/2024 at 7:58 am

    5 stars
    This recipe looks amazing. I can’t wait to try and with the side salad and lemon mayo. Yummio ?

  2. Bryce Bullock on 21/01/2024 at 6:37 pm

    Awesome fritters. I used 1/2 brown onion in the fritter mix as well. I had no spring onions. I also had to adjust the egg/flour/milk ratio for the batter. I doubled the flour.

  3. Harry Te Whau on 30/12/2023 at 8:40 am

    I will be making these for my new year share plate along with my ham ,chicken and salad club sandwiches and of course the kiwi pavlova.

  4. Chrys on 26/10/2022 at 6:47 pm

    Try using some Maggi Seafood Soup Mix in the batter. Adds great flavor to fritter and any seafood recipies

  5. Clare on 09/12/2021 at 8:19 am

    Could these be made the day before and reheated

    • Rani on 13/12/2021 at 7:23 am

      Yes they can! The fritters freeze well too.

  6. Les Te Haara on 29/11/2021 at 9:05 pm

    5 stars
    Yummy delicious

    • Mark Williams on 07/07/2023 at 7:20 pm

      5 stars
      This is a really nice recipe, thank you

      Les Te Haara?!

      Are you related to the late Gerry Te Haara and the late Bishop Ben Te Haara?

      Apologies everyone. Have not seen this name turn up anywhere in the world.

  7. Mike Reeves-McMillan on 09/10/2021 at 5:49 am

    5 stars
    Easy to make, fritters are light and very tasty. I used a pottle of mussels from the supermarket rather than fresh mussels and it worked fine.

  8. GB on 22/11/2016 at 9:57 pm

    recipe sounds good but the picture looks like a pancake or pikelet. The secret to a good mussel fritter (a mussel fritter van owner once taught me) was to shallow fry in lots of oil and dont take it off the heat until it’s really brown on both sides. He was right, mine are so much more tastier now I cook them properly.

    • fresh-admin on 23/11/2016 at 2:51 am

      Love it! Thanks for this great tip!

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