Caribbean-style Leek and Shallot Fritters with Sunflower-seed Cream
By OcadoLife
Published on 09 December 2025
Chef Sharon Gardner from vegan cookery school Made in Hackney delivers a tasty, vegan spin on traditional Caribbean fritters with her Caribbean-style Leek and Shallot Fritters with Sunflower-Seed Cream. For extra heat, add a little chopped scotch bonnet in place of the cayenne pepper. Allow an hour for soaking the sunflower seeds.
This recipe was first listed in OcadoLife as gluten free and can be easily adapted to be gluten free. When selecting products or using the add to trolley functionality please always ensure that the ingredients and products you select to purchase are gluten free.Time and servings
20 minsTotal time
4Servings
10 minsPrep time
10 minsCooking time
Ingredients
- 60g sunflower seeds
- 250g gram flour
- 1½ tsp gluten-free baking powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp garlic granules
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper or ¼ scotch bonnet, deseeded and finely chopped
- 2 leeks, trimmed and finely chopped
- 1 echalion shallot, diced
- ½ red pepper, finely diced
- 100ml chickpea liquid, from a tin
- 1 tbsp lemon juice, plus extra wedges to serve
- 2 tsp agave or maple syrup
- 1 tbsp cider vinegar
- ½ tsp English mustard (check for gluten free)
- 80ml (approx.) flavourless oil, for frying
- 4 handfuls salad leaves, to serve
Method
Step 1
For the sunflower seed cream, put the sunflower seeds in a bowl; cover with boiling water. Set aside to soak for 1 hr.Step 2
For the fritters, combine the gram flour, baking powder, smoked paprika, garlic granules, thyme, 1 tsp sea salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper or scotch bonnet in a bowl. Whisk in 250ml water to create a thick, smooth batter. Fold in the leeks, shallots and red pepper; season. Leave for 20 mins.Step 3
Meanwhile, drain the sunflower seeds; blitz in a high-speed blender with the chickpea liquid, lemon juice, agave or maple syrup, cider vinegar, mustard and remaining sea salt to make a sauce (loosen with a splash of water, if needed); season.Step 4
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. If you like, test the batter seasoning by frying 1 tsp of it in the pan; allow to cool a bit, then taste and adjust as needed. Cook the fritters in 2 batches of 6, using 2 heaped tbsp of batter for each and frying for 1-2 mins on each side until golden. Drain on kitchen paper.Step 5
Serve the fritters on a bed of sunflower-seed cream with a handful of salad leaves and the lemon wedges for squeezing over. Store leftover cream in a chilled airtight container for 1-2 weeks.