Deep-Fried Zucchini in Batter

Name: Deep-Fried Zucchini in Batter: Crispy and Golden
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: Young zucchini 2–3; Sugar 1 tsp (5 g); Water for boiling; Flour a little, for dusting; Egg (or just the yolk) 1; Flour 1 tbsp (10 g); Lemon juice or dry white wine a little juice or 1 tbsp wine; Water for thinning; Salt, black pepper to taste; Vegetable oil for deep frying 1 cup; Lettuce leaves (lettuce, romaine, oak leaf) a few; Lemon a quarter; Parsley, yogurt-based sauce optional

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45 mins

Zucchini in batter is a simple and very tasty appetizer that takes half an hour and minimal effort. Zucchini is most often turned into zucchini caviar or simply fried in oil. I serve it with a light marinade with pine nuts and mint leaves. But the batter makes the dish more filling and higher in calories, so zucchini can even be served as a main course.

Batter is a liquid dough, often of quite a complex composition, into which pieces of meat, fish, vegetables, or other foods are dipped before being fried in oil or deep-fried. Batter is usually made with eggs, or just yolks, with some flour added. The main characteristic of a batter is its viscosity, which determines the thickness and density of the fried coating. The batter is thinned to the right consistency with water or milk, often with beer or wine.

Besides adding calories, batter gives a beautiful golden crust, by which such dishes are easily recognized and look appetizing. For the crust to come out even and pretty, the batter should not be very runny: it should run off the spoon but not pour. Besides eggs and flour, a batter can contain many ingredients to improve the flavor.

Vegetables fry wonderfully in batter, giving warm or hot bite-sized appetizers that are crispy, fragrant, and appetizing. Fried zucchini in batter is no exception. It is best to fry young zucchini whose seeds have not yet formed and whose skin is light green, without a hard “rind”. It is better to boil zucchini briefly before frying, since even young fruits are fairly firm. The tastiest fried young zucchini is served with a fermented milk sauce or with garlic.

The zucchini is cut into slices, briefly boiled, dipped in batter, and deep-fried. The appetizer is served warm or hot.

Zucchini in batter can be not only an appetizer or a vegetable main course, but also a side dish or an ingredient in salads, or an addition to pasta and soft-cooked grains. Zucchini is a fairly dense vegetable, so it does not have time to soften while the batter fries. Zucchini must be briefly boiled or baked before frying. For deep-frying we use heated refined vegetable oil, in which the zucchini fries very well.

More with zucchini

Zucchini Caviar, Store-Bought Style

1 h

Zucchini Caviar

1 h 20 min

Fried Zucchini with Raisins and Mint

1 h 20 min

Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Filling

1 h 45 min

Zucchini with Garlic, Herbs and Onion

45 min

More zucchini recipes

Ingredients

4 servings

Zucchini
Young zucchini 2–3
Sugar 1 tsp (5 g)
Water for boiling
Flour a little, for dusting
For the batter
Egg (or just the yolk) 1
Flour 1 tbsp (10 g)
Lemon juice or dry white wine a little juice or 1 tbsp wine
Water for thinning
Salt, black pepper to taste
For frying and serving
Vegetable oil for deep frying 1 cup
Lettuce leaves (lettuce, romaine, oak leaf) a few
Lemon a quarter
Parsley, yogurt-based sauce optional

Step-by-step recipe

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Preparing the zucchini

Take small, very young zucchini with a nice light green skin. In season it is no problem to pick the right ones. If the zucchini have developed seeds and the skin has toughened, they are not suitable for frying in batter. There is no point in peeling zucchini or removing the seeds: they will lose their shape and even after boiling will be a little tough.
Wash the zucchini well and dry them with a paper towel.
Cut off the ends and cut the zucchini into sticks 6–7 cm long and about 2–2.5 cm across. Each stick should keep some green skin, so that the fried zucchini in batter holds its shape.
Put the zucchini in a small pot and add 1 tsp of sugar (5 g). Pour in water to cover the zucchini and set it on the heat.
The sugar will partly preserve the green color and make the flavor of the zucchini more delicate.
Boil the zucchini for 6–7 mins from the moment it comes to a boil. The zucchini should become soft and be pierced by the tip of a knife with almost no effort.
Transfer the cooked zucchini to a colander and cool it under cold running water. Blot off the drops of water with a paper towel.

Batter

So that the batter sticks well to the surface, sprinkle the zucchini with a little flour and toss.
Crack one chicken egg, or just the yolk, into a small bowl, then add salt and pepper. Add 1 tbsp of flour (10 g) and beat the mixture thoroughly with a fork.
Add a little lemon juice or 1 tbsp of dry white wine.
Thin the batter with plain water. Milk is usually recommended for thinning the batter, but water suits zucchini better. The batter should be about as thick as kefir: running off the spoon, but not pouring.

Deep-frying

Be very careful with the oil: if drops of water get into it, it starts to spatter and can cause burns.
Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat until very hot. It is ready when a drop of batter sizzles right away and floats up.
Spear a piece of boiled zucchini on a fork and dip it into the batter so that the batter completely covers every part. Hold the piece in the air so that the excess batter drips into the bowl. The layer of batter will be 2–3 mm thick, which is enough.
Carefully, so that it does not splash, lower the zucchini into the hot oil. Fry until the underside of the batter turns a pleasant golden brown, about 1–2 mins, then carefully turn it over so that the other side browns.
Carefully lift the browned zucchini out of the fryer and transfer it to a plate lined with a paper towel. The paper will absorb some of the fat, which lowers the calorie content of the dish.

Serving

Arrange a few green lettuce leaves on a small plate: lettuce, romaine, or oak leaf. Put the warm zucchini on top of the leaves and add a quarter of a lemon.
If you like, you can make a sauce based on yogurt or sour milk. Some parsley won’t hurt either.
Serve the zucchini right away, while it is still hot: as it cools, the batter loses its slight crunch and goes soggy, which spoils the dish. Squeeze lemon juice over the zucchini. If you made a sauce, you can simply dip the pieces into it and eat them, which is the tastiest way.
If you decided to make a salad with zucchini, cut the sticks into large cubes, but make sure they are still warm.

Calories and macros

60 kcal

Serving ≈ 180 g

Protein4 g26% of kcal
Fat2 g27% of kcal
Carbs7 g47% of kcal

100 g33 kcalProtein 2.1 gFat 1 gCarbs 3.7 g

Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.

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