Domatokeftedes/Tomatokeftedes (tomato fritters)are fried tomato balls popular in the Greek island of Santorini. Domatokeftedes (in Greek: ντοματοκεφτέδες, pronounced doh-mah-to-kef-TEH-thes) is made from crushed tomatoes and flour kneaded into a thick batter along with spices, parsley, mint, and onion and fried until golden and crispy. It is traditionally served with a big dollop of dill yogurt.
This dish definitely brings back memories from my holiday in Santorini. The heart-stopping sunrises, quintessential landscape of whitewashed houses with sea blue roofs, its remarkable volcanic setting and simple delicious food using the local produce like Domatokeftedes, Greek salad. Just thinking about it transports me to a happy place! Santorini’s local cherry tomatoes are blessed with an intensely sweet flavour due to the volcanic nature of the soil, which is full of minerals and nutrients. Domatokeftedes are perfect bites of sunshine, an explosion of freshness and herby goodness in every bite. A taste of Greece, in the literal sense.
Some versions of the Domatokeftedes uses feta too in the batter but I feel it dulls the flavour of tomatoes and herbs hence I cook without the feta. There are a couple of secrets to a good Domatokeftedes. The first is to knead the tomatoes, onions and herbs by hand as it helps in releasing all the flavours and juices in the mix. Secondly is to leave the batter resting for a few hours so the flavours marry well making it more flavoursome and scrumptious.
A delicious crispy flavoursome treat for starters!
