Thursday, October 7, 2010

Panko Crusted Fried Zucchini

Serves:  4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time:  15 minutes

This fried zucchini is my husbands favorite! Dip it is some ranch and you have one great side dish. I think it could compete with fair food.






What it takes:

2 zucchini, sliced into coins
2 cups panko bread crumbs (found in the Asian food section)
1 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tablespoon milk (I use non-fat)
2 teaspoons salt, divided
2 teaspoons pepper, divided
1 teaspoon cayenne, divided
1 teaspoon dried parsley
Enough oil to have 1/4-1/2 inch of oil in the pan

How to do it:

You will need 3 dishes for dredging.

Dish 1: Add flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne. Stir to combine.
Dish 2: beat eggs and milk together.
Dish 3: panko bread crumbs, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne and 1 teaspoon dried parsley. Stir to combine.

Dip zucchini coins in flour to coat. Shake off excess. Dip in egg mixture and then coat with panko mixture. You may need to press the panko crumbs onto the zucchini. I typically put the zucchini on a mound of crumbs then top with more crumbs and press. Then, flip it over and do it again.

I dredge all of my zucchini pieces and place on a plate so I can fry them all at the same time.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. You will know the oil is ready when you put a drop of water in and it sizzles. When oil is ready, place a few of the pieces in the oil and fry 1-2 minutes per side. When the coated zucchini is brown, flip to fry the other side. Make sure not to over crowd the pan or it will decrease the oil temperature and not fry well.

When both sides are brown, place fried zucchini on a napkin lined plate. Try not to eat them all as they are coming out of the oil!! I know you will be tempted.

And that is it! Just serve them with some ranch dressing and you are good to go! Be prepared to make these often. They will be requested!

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