Best Fried Zucchini Ever and Frying Tips

I know that fried zucchini isn’t particularly complicated to make, but it’s one of my favorite zucchini recipes so I wanted to share it here.  Plus, I have some good frying tips from years of experience and a husband with culinary skills. (And a heavy dose of trial and error, despite the skilled and experienced chef-husband who has a knack for telling me what to do in the kitchen).

I love making fried zucchini as a side dish, but it makes an even better appetizer.  I know this because we end up eating about half the fried zucchini while it’s coming out of the pan, before dinner’s ready and before we’ve made it anywhere near the table.  See all the empty spots on the rack below?



I made the batch that came out too light in color.  My husband finished up the too-dark batch.  Aim for somewhere in the middle.



They're so good they're impossible to resist.  With that said, here’s the recipe with my frying tips included.

Ingredients:

Two medium-sized zucchini, washed and sliced into thin rounds, less than a quarter-inch thick

Two eggs, beaten in a shallow bowl

Italian seasoned bread crumbs, about one cup

Extra virgin olive oil for frying

Kosher salt to taste

• Fill the bottom of a heavy frying pan with about 1/8” of olive oil and put it on medium-high heat.

• While the oil is heating, dip the zucchini slices in egg and dredge them in bread cumbs until they’re fully coated. Set aside until oil is very hot.

Tip: If you start frying before the oil is hot enough, you’ll end up with soggy zucchini slices that have soaked up all the oil.  You’ll know your oil is hot enough when a you toss a pinch of bread crumbs into the pan and the oil around them bubbles.  If the oil’s not hot enough, the bread crumbs will sink to the bottom without any fanfare.



See all the bubbling action?  Yay for fried zucchini!



Once all of your slices are coated and the oil is hot (but not smoking!), start carefully placing the slices in the pan in one even layer.  Be careful not to overload the pan, or else you can bring the temperature of your oil down too low and end up with said soggy zucchini.

• After 2-3 minutes, check to see if they’re brown enough to flip.  You’re looking for a medium golden brown color.
• Flip slices and let the second side get nice and brown.  When they’re about done, the oil will bubble less vigorously.  Remove from pan onto a wire rack and salt them immediately.

Tip:  Place your fried zucchini on a wire rack to cool instead of paper towels.  Paper towels cause the crispy crust to get soggy—and this goes for any fried food.  Instead, I put the paper towels under the wire rack to catch the oil drips.

Tip:  Salt the zucchini rounds while they’re still piping hot.  The salt will stick better.

• Repeat with the next batch of zucchini until all your rounds are fried and salted.

Tip:  Add more oil in between batches as needed, but allow the oil to get up to temperature before adding the next batch of zucchini.

ENJOY!!!!

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