Fried Zucchini
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 4medium zucchini, about 2 pounds
- 3eggs
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 1cup all-purpose flour
- 3cups bread crumbs, preferably fresh
- Neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed, for deep-frying
- ¼cup chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish
- 2lemons, quartered, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
1091 calories; 72 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 42 grams monounsaturated fat; 20 grams polyunsaturated fat; 94 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 12 grams sugars; 21 grams protein; 1120 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Trim stem ends from zucchini and cut either crosswise into slices about ½-inch thick or into French-fry-like sticks. Heat the oven to 200. Beat eggs with salt and pepper in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Set up an assembly line of a plate of flour, the plate of eggs and a plate of bread crumbs. Have a baking sheet ready, and several rectangles of wax or parchment paper.
- Step 2
Coat a zucchini piece in the flour, dip in the egg and coat in the bread crumbs. You want a thin, even layer of each coating; shake off any excess. Put coated zucchini on baking sheet in a single layer, top with wax or parchment paper and repeat with remaining slices. Chill for at least 10 minutes or up to 3 hours.
- Step 3
Put a large heavy skillet or a deep broad saucepan over medium heat and pour in enough oil to come up the sides at least ½ inch. While the oil heats, line a plate with paper towels. The oil is ready when a pinch of flour sizzles immediately.
- Step 4
Put a few zucchini pieces in the oil without crowding. When the bottoms brown, after 2 to 3 minutes, turn and cook the other side for 2 to 3 minutes, adjusting heat to keep oil sputtering without smoking or burning zucchini. As each piece is done, put it on the paper towels to drain, turning to blot it on both sides if needed. Transfer to an ovenproof platter and keep warm in oven while you finish cooking. Add and heat up oil as necessary.
- Step 5
Garnish with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
Private Notes
Comments
I added Parmesan cheese to the bread crumbs and seasoned the flour with a bit of cayenne, basil, and oregano for some added zip. Plain zucchini can be kind of bland. This jazzes things up a bit.
Fantastic recipe! The secret to getting the crunchy, crispy texture is in refrigerating the breaded zucchini. I left mine for an hour and then fried as suggested although 2 minutes on each side is enough. A squeeze of lemon is all that's needed.
Read Step 4. The oven is used to keep the fried zucchini sticks warm while you're finishing the rest. Two pounds of zukes will generate way more pieces than you can properly fry in one batch. Actually it will be more like 3 or 4 batches.
If you crowd too many pieces into the oil at once the temperature will drop and all the pieces will become soggy and greasy. Follow the instructions exactly and you will get crisp, non-greasy excellent fried zucchini sticks.
When I was growing up, my family and I used to go to a restaurant called Hamburger Hamlet (anyone who was in D.C. in the 70s & 80s knows it). They had an appetizer called “Zucchini Zircles,” which was circles of zucchini, fried till crisp and golden, served with a spicy apricot dipping sauce. I recreated that sauce here (melted apricot jam, red pepper flakes, and ground black pepper) and it was just as yummy as I remember.
Has anyone tried in an air fryer? Point taken about health fats but oh, the calories….
While I cannot say that my fried zucchini ended up looking like the NYT Cooking photo, I can say that it tasted absolutely fabulously delicious! Great recipe to satisfy a fried zucchini craving.