Sunday, July 24, 2011

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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25 comments:

  1. Oh yum! I love fried zucchini - but never thought to coat them in breadcrumbs first! Even better!

    Thanks for linking to a Round Tuit!
    Hope you have a great week!
    Jill @ Creating my way to Success
    http://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/

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  2. I love zucchini a lot and try to find new ways of making it. This looks yummy!

    ~Mrs. Bee
    thebumbleinthebee.blogspot.com

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  3. I am drooooooling once again!! YUM!!

    Thanks for linking up to “Strut Your Stuff Sunday” on our blog!! We appreciate it!

    Thanks for sharing :)

    Kristine
    www.jandmseyecandy.blogspot.com

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  4. Hi,we love fried zucchinis at home! Actually that's the only thing that we fry, because the taste of fried zucchinis is very specific and can't be replaced with baked. I'm originally from Bulgaria and there what we do with the fried zucchini is top them with plain yogurt mixed with pressed garlic and fresh dill. It is delicious!

    Byby
    http://bybyskingdom.blogspot.com/

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  5. Yummy! This looks so good. We fry them as well using panko crumbs... Thanks for sharing.

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  6. I shy away from frying anything (I'd like to say for health reasons, but it's because of the mess and the wasted oil!!), but I will try this for sure! Only using an 1/8th inch oil seems do-able for me.

    Thanks for linking up to the Tuesday Garden Party!

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  7. Hi!
    That looks so yummy. Haven't had fried Zucchini in ages. I'll have to fry some up. Have a great day!

    Sherrie
    Food for Thought
    http://100sweets.blogspot.com/2011/07/patiently-waiting.html

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  8. I love zucchini and fried is scrumptious. I know it is hard to not eat them as you cook - I do too.

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  9. I made this for dinner tonight after seeing your link on Hope Studios. It was delicious! Thanks for the tutorial-- mine used to come out soggy all the time. They were perfect tonight!

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  10. mmmm, maybe my husband would eat zucchini if I fried it. Must try this, thanks for sharing!

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  11. i could have used this post when i attempted this. let me say i am not a cook whatsoever, so it didn't occur to me that filling the pan with breaded zucchinis would not be a good idea. clearly this is a one at a time type thing, b/c the result was less than stellar. yours on the other hand, look deelish!

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  12. Yummy! I love zucchini. Thank you for joining the Frugal Tuesday Tip this week. Hope you link up again soon. http://juliecache.com/2011/07/26/frugal-tuesday-tip-27/.html

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  13. I never made fried Zucchini before. This looks amazing!
    New blog follower! Feel free to come back and enter my great giveaways! http://www.peacelovepoop.com

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  14. We love fried zucchini! We have found it best to fry in our left over bacon grease instead of oil! We also bread ours and add in a little Parmesan cheese too. Now I really want some fried zucchini (eggplant is good this way too!) :)

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  15. I just love zucchini! Stopping by for the alexa weekend hop! http://aboutamom.com

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  16. I have never had fried zucchini or at least I don't think so... Although it does look tasty! Stopping by Alexa Hop weekend!

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  17. Yumm! We eat zucchini at least once a week, some times more!! I will have to remember this!! (adding to my pinterest lol!)

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  18. Those look so yummy! I love fried zucchini!

    Your newest follower from the weekend hop! Would love a return visit! http://thriftyninja.net

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  19. Super Hungry now ~ lol! Stopping by from the Alexa Hop, hope you stop by my page too! http://www.supercouponlady.com

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  20. I love fried zucchini but I am terrible at frying things... I'll give your tips a try, I always burn things.
    Emily
    domesticdeadline.blogspot.com

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  21. Yum!! We love fried zucchini too, our zucchini is just coming on, can wait to get a batch fried up!! Sounds like a great recipe! ~April

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  22. Oh sounds wonderful! I love zucchini. Though I tend to stick to the tried and true water drop method for my oil :D Thanks for joining in the Alexa Weekend Hop! <3 Rita from www.bargaindesire.com

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  23. I only recently discovered that I like zucchini, and I love anything fried, so I'm sure this is a great recipe for me! Thanks for sharing it at Rub Some Dirt On It!

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  24. You've got my ticket for sure -- Fried zucchini is my favorite fried treat. So happy that you linked up your wonderful recipe on "A Little Birdie Told Me..." Tuesday at Rook No. 17!

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  25. Oh yum! You had me at fried! But add zucchini and I'm so in!!!

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