Santorini Tomato Fritters (Ntomatokeftedes Santorinis)

Santorini's tomatoes are a genuinely different vegetable from what grows almost anywhere else, small, intensely sweet and concentrated, the result of vines grown in volcanic ash with almost no rainfall or irrigation, forcing the plant to put everything into a small amount of fruit rather than a large, watery one. Ntomatokeftedes exist specifically to show off that tomato, using almost nothing else.

The fritters are held together with barely any flour, relying on the tomato's own thick, concentrated pulp rather than a heavy batter, which means genuinely ripe, good tomatoes are not optional here, they are the entire dish. A bland, watery supermarket tomato will simply not produce the same result.

Mint, rather than the parsley or dill more common elsewhere in Greek fritters, is the traditional herb here, giving a clean, slightly cooling note against the fritters' sweetness once fried.

Key preparation steps

Deseed and drain grated or finely chopped tomato thoroughly.
Mix with onion, mint and just enough flour to bind.
Rest the mixture so the flour can absorb the moisture.
Fry spoonfuls in hot oil until deeply golden.

Getting the tomato right

Small, very ripe, intensely flavoured tomatoes are essential, Santorini's own if you can find them, or the ripest, most flavourful vine tomatoes available otherwise, since a bland tomato gives a bland fritter with nothing to hide behind. Deseed them and chop or grate finely, then drain in a sieve for fifteen minutes, since tomatoes carry a great deal of water that needs to go somewhere other than into the batter.

The minimal batter

Mix the drained tomato with grated onion, chopped mint, a little crumbled feta if you like, and just enough flour, often self-raising, to bring everything together into a mixture that holds its shape on a spoon without being a thick, doughy batter. The tomato itself, not the flour, should be doing most of the work.

Let the mixture rest for fifteen to twenty minutes before frying, which allows the flour to fully absorb the tomato's liquid and firms the mixture enough to hold together in the hot oil.

Frying

Drop spoonfuls into hot oil and fry until deeply golden on both sides, a few minutes per side, without pressing down on them, which would squeeze out the moisture you want to stay inside. Drain well and serve hot, since these fritters, like most fried Greek meze, lose their appeal quickly once they cool and soften.

What matters in this dish

Use the ripest, most flavourful tomatoes you can find

There is very little else in this dish. A bland tomato gives a bland fritter.

Drain the tomato properly

Skipping this step leaves the mixture too wet to hold together in the fryer.

Do not press the fritters while frying

This squeezes out the moisture that makes them worth eating. Let them fry undisturbed.

Questions people ask about Ntomatokeftedes Santorinis

Why are Santorini tomatoes different?

They are grown in volcanic ash soil with almost no irrigation, which concentrates their sugars and flavour into a small, intensely sweet fruit, quite different from a standard watered tomato.

Can you make this dish without Santorini tomatoes specifically?

Yes, the ripest, most flavourful tomatoes you can find will work, though genuine Santorini tomatoes, where available, give a noticeably more concentrated result.

Why is there so little flour in the batter?

The dish is meant to showcase the tomato itself. A heavy batter would dilute that rather than support it, so only enough flour to bind the mixture is used.