Chef Dimitra
Aegean Island Kalamarakia Tiganita (Καλαμαράκια Τηγανητά)
Aegean island fried squid is flour, hot oil, lemon, and nerve. Fry it for a minute or two, no longer, and it stays tender under its crisp coat.
Culinary Explorer
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Tomatokeftedes Santorinis (Ντοματοκεφτέδες Σαντορίνης)
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Santorini's meatless tomato fritters, crisp-edged and soft inside, depend on dense summer tomatoes, sharp onion, mint, oregano, and one patient draining before the flour goes in.
Appetizers & Snacks
Greek
Outdoor Dining
Dinner Party
Budget Friendly
35 min
Active Time
20 min cook•55 min total
Yield4 to 6 servings as a meze
Tomatokeftedes Santorinis are Santorini's tomato fritters, the island's pseftokeftedes, false meatballs, made without meat because the tomato is the body of the dish. They belong to the Cyclades, and more sharply to Santorini, where the small low-water tomatoes grow dense and sweet in volcanic soil and hard wind. The region is the dish's surname.
The whole thing depends on draining the tomato before the flour goes in. If you mix wet pulp straight into batter, the fritters spread, soften, and take in oil like a sponge. Salt the grated tomato, let it shed its water, then fold in onion, mint, oregano, capers, and just enough flour to hold a rough spoonful together. That's the only trick.
These are nistisima by nature, fit for the fasting table, but they never feel like a substitute. They are summer food, balcony food, the plate that disappears while the fish is still on the grill. In my notebook, the best versions are the plainest ones: good tomatoes, sharp herbs, hot oil, patience. Λίγα και καλά.
Tomatokeftedes became closely tied to Santorini after the island's small tomato, tomataki Santorinis, spread through local cultivation in the late nineteenth century and fed a major tomato paste trade in the twentieth. The tomato received EU PDO status in 2013, recognizing how the island's volcanic soil, drought, wind, and dry farming produce fruit with unusually concentrated flesh. The fritters are called pseftokeftedes because they mimic the shape and comfort of meatballs while remaining meatless, a practical Cycladic answer to lean kitchens and fasting days.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
ripe firm tomatoes, preferably Santorini tomatakia
Quantity
900g
coarsely grated or finely chopped
fine sea salt
Quantity
8g
divided
red onion
Quantity
120g
very finely chopped
spring onions
Quantity
2
finely sliced
fresh mint leaves
Quantity
20g
finely chopped
flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
10g
finely chopped
dried Greek oregano
Quantity
1 teaspoon
capers
Quantity
25g
rinsed, squeezed dry, and roughly chopped
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
all-purpose flour
Quantity
180g
plus 1 to 2 tablespoons more if needed
baking powder
Quantity
1 teaspoon
olive oil or mild vegetable oil
Quantity
500ml
for frying
lemon wedges (optional)
Quantity
as needed
for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| ripe firm tomatoes, preferably Santorini tomatakiacoarsely grated or finely chopped | 900g |
| fine sea saltdivided | 8g |
| red onionvery finely chopped | 120g |
| spring onionsfinely sliced | 2 |
| fresh mint leavesfinely chopped | 20g |
| flat-leaf parsleyfinely chopped | 10g |
| dried Greek oregano | 1 teaspoon |
| capersrinsed, squeezed dry, and roughly chopped | 25g |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1/2 teaspoon |
| all-purpose flourplus 1 to 2 tablespoons more if needed | 180g |
| baking powder | 1 teaspoon |
| olive oil or mild vegetable oilfor frying | 500ml |
| lemon wedges (optional)for serving | as needed |
Equipment Needed
- •box grater with large holes
- •fine sieve or colander
- •wide heavy frying pan, 28cm
- •wire rack set over a tray
Instructions
- 1
Drain the tomatoes
Grate the tomatoes on the large holes of a box grater, stopping at the skins, or chop them very finely if the skins are tender. Put the pulp in a sieve set over a bowl, stir in 5g of the salt, and leave it for 25 minutes. Press lightly once or twice. This is the step that decides the fritter: wet tomato makes a batter that slumps and drinks oil, while drained tomato gives you a spoonable mixture that fries crisp at the edges and stays tender inside.
Keep the drained tomato juice for beans, rice, or a pan sauce. It is too good for the sink. - 2
Mix the herbs
Tip the drained tomato pulp into a bowl. Add the red onion, spring onions, mint, parsley, oregano, capers, black pepper, and the remaining salt. Stir well and let it stand for 5 minutes so the onion softens a little in the tomato.
- 3
Make the batter
Whisk the flour and baking powder together, then fold them into the tomato mixture. The batter should be thick enough to mound softly on a spoon, not pour like pancake batter. If your tomatoes were still generous with water, add 1 tablespoon more flour, wait 2 minutes, and judge again before adding the second.
- 4
Heat the oil
Pour oil into a wide heavy pan to a depth of about 1.5cm and heat it over medium-high heat. Drop in a tiny dab of batter: it should bubble immediately and rise, but not blacken at the edges. Line a tray with kitchen paper or set a rack over a tray.
- 5
Fry in spoonfuls
Spoon heaped tablespoons of batter into the hot oil, flattening each one just a little with the back of the spoon. Do not crowd the pan. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deep golden brown with crisp, lacy edges. Move them to the rack or paper and salt lightly while hot.
- 6
Serve hot
Serve the tomatokeftedes hot or warm, with lemon wedges if you like. They should taste of tomato first, then mint, onion, oregano, and the little briny snap of capers. No egg, no cheese. Santorini already knew what it was doing.
Chef Tips
- •Make these only when tomatoes smell like tomatoes. If the market gives you pale winter fruit, cook lentils or beans today and come back to this in summer. The right method on a sad tomato still gives you a sad fritter.
- •The batter should look almost too full of tomato and herbs for the flour to manage. If it looks smooth and pasty, you've added too much flour and the fritters will taste dull.
- •Eat them soon after frying. They hold for an hour at room temperature, but the crisp edge is a fresh thing, not a storage thing.
- •Serve with fava Santorinis, olives, grilled fish, or just bread and a glass of cold white wine. This is meze, not decoration.
Advance Preparation
- •The tomatoes can be grated and drained up to 2 hours ahead, covered and chilled.
- •The herbs and onions can be chopped 4 hours ahead and kept separately in the refrigerator.
- •Do not mix the final batter more than 20 minutes before frying, or the salt will keep pulling water from the tomatoes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 135g)
Calories
270 calories
Total Fat
13 g
Saturated Fat
2 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
11 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
680 mg
Total Carbohydrates
33 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
6 g
Protein
5 g
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