Cornmeal-coated fresh zucchini slices are pan-fried in olive oil. Sliced onions may be included at the start as a variation. The microwave is a good way to reheat any leftovers.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 45 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
Ingredients
- 3 zucchini
- ¼ cup yellow cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash and dry the zucchini. Trim off ends, then slice zucchini into 1/8-inch thick rounds. Place cornmeal in a medium bowl; toss in zucchini slices, mixing thoroughly to coat.
- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place zucchini slices into hot oil and fry over medium heat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Watch zucchini closely, adding more oil if they are browning too quickly. When zucchini slices are golden brown on one side, flip to brown on other side. They will clump together as they cook but that is what you want.
- When zucchini slices are evenly browned, reduce heat to low and cover the skillet with a lid; steam until zucchini is slightly tender. Turn zucchini, replace lid, and steam until soft. Remove lid and increase heat to medium-high; fry slices on both sides until crisp. Serve hot.
Reviews
Great recipe. I typically skip the steaming step because I like my zucchini a little firmer. It is less likely to fall off my fork onto my lap on its way to my mouth. I have seen some comments suggesting you should dip the zucchini slices in a batter or egg and milk mixture before frying to keep the cornmeal from falling off. You do not need to do this. I find that if you press the zucchini slices firmly into the cornmeal before dropping them into the frying pan, the cornmeal will stick very nicely and give you a crispy outer coating.
I thought the flavor was pretty tasty and liked the slight crunch of the cornmeal. I would change the cooking method though. I think all of step 3 is unnecessary. Just fry the zucchini slices on one side, flip, then fry the other side. The whole steaming idea turns the zucchini to mush, especially since the recipe calls for such thin slices (1/8″ thick). There’s also a lot of unnecessary flipping. Next time I would also slice the zucchini at least 1/4″ thick and fry about 3 minutes per side.
Recipe was meant for a lighter version than the heavy flour /egg breading that absorbs a lot of oil…I rinsed my slices with water before dipping. There are a lot of breaded zucchini recipes out there that cover up the zucchini flavor, this one does not.. My mother tried corn flakes, it basically drowns out the zucchini flavor…This would be fine if you trying to get kids to eat it
I dipped mine in egg before I put it in the cornmeal. It fried up crisp and tasted very good. I also fried in coconut oil.
salted the zucchini first, then dipped in egg/flour/cornmeal, fried as stated, serve with marinara or thousand island sauce
Others claim dipping it in egg and milk. Milk absorbs fat. Water repels fat. So if you dont want them greasy..dont use milk. if you want heavier coating..water and egg works but you lose that crispy crunch. Cooked this for years. Like the light texture.
Good and simple! The cornmeal wasn’t sticking for me and I had used all my eggs on zucchini bread the day before. I found that adding salt to the cornmeal drew enough moisture out of the zucchini to get the cornmeal to stick. You might as well mix the pepper and any other spice right into the cornmeal. This is also great with Parmesan cheese.
The cornmeal did not stick and ended up sticking to the bottom of the pan, leaving a pan of oily zucchini. Next time I would follow other readers’ advice and use some sort of “wash” to make the meal stick. Also, the flavor seemed very bland.
Definitely different and very tasty! The cornmeal was a nice surprise!
I have also used Italian Bread Crumbs, that’s my familes favorite
I’ve never eaten zucchini other than in cakes, so I thought I’d try something different. I did end up dipping each slice in almond milk before coating them with cornmeal, and they turned are great!
Turned out great! Makes zucchini so much better!
Great way to make eating zuchhini yummy!
I actually followed Jenelle D’s suggested recipe, egg wash plus 1/2 c cornmeal with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. I also added my own little twist of paprika to the mix, and it was delicious!!
The best way to fry zucchini and for that matter fried green tomatos, same way is to follow the directions Judy Sing gives but first cut your slices no thinner than a Quarter of an inch other wise they become dry during the cooking period. whip up a bowl of eggs 3 or 4 and first dip them in the egg. then put them in a bowl of 3 quarters corn meal and 1 quarter flour with salt and pepper. Cook at medium high heat until brown on both sides. It’s nice to have at least a half inch of oil in pan while cooking. I’m 53 now and been cooking these veggies way since I was 12 years old, from my Grandma.
It does slightly well, but i tried it without the cornmeal and it worked a lot better.
Good recipe. I prefer to fry this in butter for alittle added taste but it’s not as healthy as olive oil. Also i use flour as it sticks better than cornmeal but if you don’t wash and leave alittle wet nothing is going to stick anyway.
The cornmeal was a bit too crunchy and needed some sauce with it, but the zucchini cooked well.
I love fried zucchini in my favorite restaurant but I have never had a recipe for them before. These are wonderful! I dipped them in Ranch dressing.
I like it, but I would suggest- to make it healthier- insread of using salt, add GARLIC salt! It’s super yummy!!!!!!
I followed the recipe as directed and was very disappointed with the results.