Italian Fried Zucchini / Courgette Recipe ~ How to Cook Big Zucchini From the Garden
Easy Way to Cook Big Zucchini
Making Italian Fried Zucchini is a great use for the big zucchini or courgette you pick from the garden. No need to remove the seeds. Just slice, dip and fry. Served with some tomato sauce on the side or as a side dish to pasta, it is delicious and nutritious!
Copyright © 2020 Melis Ann
Cook Time
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Ready in: 50 min
Yields: Makes 8 fried zucchini slices
Ingredients to Make Fried Zucchini
- 8 x half inch slices from a large zucchini, about 3-4 inches in width
- 1 egg, mixed in a bowl
- 2/3 cup plain bread crumbs
- 3 Tbsp grated cheese, preferrably Pecorino Romano
- 2 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- black pepper, to taste
- olive oil, for frying
- tomato sauce, optional
Cooking Instructions for Fried Zucchini
- Mix bread crumbs, grated cheese, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper in a bowl wide enough to dip zucchini slices in.
- Mix egg in a separate bowl.
- Preheat pan on medium/low heat. Add a few Tbsp of olive oil.
- Slice zucchini about 1/2 inch thick.
- Dip zucchini in egg, then in bread crumb mixture, then add to preheated pan and cover if possible. Hopefully you can fit 4 slices in the pan for Batch #1.
- Adjust the temperature of your stove so that you allow the zucchini itself to cook and become soft on the first side without crisping the bread crumb coating too much. When zucchini is nearly done (becoming soft when poked with a fork) and bread crumbs are nicely browned, flip over. Should take about 10 minutes in a cast iron pan.
- Cook the second side until the zucchini is fully cooked (soft when poked with a fork) and bread crumbs are nicely toasted. About 10 minutes.
- After taking the zucchini out of the pan, place on a couple layers of paper towels in a baking pan to drain any excess olive oil. Remove the paper towels after a few minutes.
- Repeat Steps 5-8 with the next 4 slices for Batch #2.
- Serve with some tomato sauce and Voila! There you have a great snack or side dish.
Copyright © 2020 Melis Ann
Original content written by Melis Ann published only on HubPages at the following web address: http://melisann.hubpages.com/hub/Fried-Zucchini-or-Courgette-Recipe-How-to-Use-Big-Zucchini-From-the-Garden
Cast Iron Cookware
Cooking Hints
- The best pan to use for frying is a cast iron pan. If you have never used one before, the trick is to let them preheat for a while before cooking, wash them when they are still hot, never using soap, and apply a little oil to them after using when they are new. These pans are the answer to being able to fry food like chicken cutlets, fried zucchini and quesadillas to perfection: letting the inside cook long enough while getting the perfect crisp to the outside.
- Plan to cook 4 slices of zucchini in the pan together. Each batch should take about 20 minutes to cook. If you have a really large pan or use two pans at the same time, then you can save yourself some cooking time.
- Play with the ratios of the ingredients in the bread crumb mixture. Feel free to use a little less or a little more of any ingredient. Even add a little ground red pepper for a kick.
- You can also cook thinner slices of zucchini if you want more of the bread crumb mixture versus zucchini. This is a good way to make it for kids if they aren't the biggest zucchini fans. Be careful not to make too thin as the slices will become soft and messy to flip over in the pan.
Give Italian Fried Zucchini a Try!
As with any recipe, it takes a couple tries to get it right. Fried zucchini is a great way to use the excess zucchini in peak season, especially for those zucchini that get big very quickly and have seeds that need to be removed for other recipes.
© 2012 Melis Ann
