Fried Zucchini Grandma's Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep zucchini from getting soggy when frying? ›

Salting your zucchini is the most important step in preventing it from getting soggy. Additionally, make sure your pan is properly preheated before frying the breaded zucchini. Adding the zucchini to a cold pan will make it come out oily and soft rather than crisp and golden.

Chill the breaded zucchini: It helps the breading stay stuck, which means they won't fall off in the fryer and they'll be crunchier. Refrigerate the breaded zucchini for at least 15 minutes and up to 3 hours—it's just enough time to help the breading stick.

Heat lightly greased sauté pan to medium heat. Coat zucchini coins first with flour, then dip and coat with beaten egg and place into pan. Sauté zucchini for about 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until they are a light golden brown, turning once.

What causes this bitterness? All cucurbits produce chemicals called cucurbitacins, which cause the vegetables to taste bitter and served as a defense against plant-eating wildlife. Cucurbitacin also contributes to the musky scent of cantaloupe.

The secret to zucchini with the best flavor and texture is roasting it in a 450°F oven. Roasting zucchini at a high temperature instead of baking or sautéing helps develop browning and a slight char on the outside, which keeps it from getting soggy.

The first step in this recipe involves salting the flesh of the zucchini and allowing it to stand for 15 minutes. The salt draws the moisture from the flesh which helps ensure that the vegetable stays firm during roasting. This moisture (and excess salt) is patted off with a paper towel before cooking.

By sprinkling the cut vegetable with salt and letting it stand in a colander over the sink, water will drip out, leaving behind a firmer vegetable. The zucchini can then be more easily sauteed or roasted to bring out its natural sugars and, hence, flavor.

Squeezing is optional.

Some recipes tell you to remove extra moisture from the grated zucchini by squeezing it in a clean kitchen towel.

On the other hand, they may simply be waterlogging if your garden is poorly drained. Another possibility is squash bugs have damaged them and rot has set in as a result. In the meantime, keep removing the infected fruit as soon as you see signs of the problem.

Mushy texture: A spoiled zucchini has a mushy or stringy texture when you cut it, and it may feel slimy to the touch. "Off" smell or taste: If your zucchini smells sour or foul in any way, or if it tastes unusually bitter, it has likely gone bad.

Should you salt zucchini before or after cooking? ›

In fact, salting before cooking is actually Daniel Boulud's tip for prepping crispier eggplant, and zucchini is much the same. Science is on the side of salting in advance. When salt is sprinkled on the flesh of a water-dense fruit like zucchini and left to sit for a while, a process known as osmosis occurs.

When cooked that way, zucchini has the most wonderful texture: just barely soft in the center, slightly crunchy on the outside. It's juicy, not mushy, and could help any zucchini hater come to their senses.

Blanch the zucchini to keep it firm.

Blanching will deactivate the enzymes that cause the zucchini to turn mushy and discolored. To blanch the vegetable, bring a pot of unsalted water to a boil, then place the zucchini pieces in the water and boil for 1 minute. Immediately drain them in a colander.

Just place them on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet.

In much the same way, putting fried food on a cooling rack means the excess oil will drip off, but there's enough air circulating underneath the food that the bottoms don't get soggy.

Avoid storing zucchini in plastic, which can trap moisture and make the skin slimy. Either leave zucchini loose or place it in a paper bag.