In the UK, where I live, they're called Courgettes, in American-English speaking countries they're known as Zucchinis, so if you've landed on this page because you're looking for a crispy battered fried courgette recipe or a zucchini one, rest assured, they are the same. This recipe also happens to be a gluten-free one.
Whenever I make fried courgettes I like to make half with breadcrumbs and half without (as you can see above) just for a bit of variation and because I like both versions and I can't really decide which one I like best.
The recipe below will make one bowl of crispy courgettes with breadcrumbs and one bowl of crispy courgettes without the breadcrumbs.
If you want to make all the courgettes with breadcrumbs please make sure to double the amount (that would make it 150g of breadcrumbs), also if you want to omit the breadcrumbs altogether just cross them off your list, everything else is the same.
You will need:
3 courgettes
3 large free-range eggs
1 cup gluten-free flour
75g gluten-free breadcrumbs
350 ml sunflower/vegetable oil for frying
salt and pepper to taste
chilli powder/flakes optional
How to:
1. Wash the courgettes and slice them thinly (half a cm or less thickness should be ok), making sure to discard the ends. You can also chop the courgette into 1cm cubes or strips.
2. Place the slices in a bowl and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of salt on top of them
3. Leave them to sweat for 15-20 minutes (this will make sure they soften and lose some of the natural bitterness)
4. Rinse them thoroughly (no salt should be left on them)
5. Place them on a plate lined with kitchen roll (paper towel) and pat them dry or briefly cover them using another paper towel.
6. Whisk the eggs and place the flour and breadcrumbs in a bowl each.
7. Cover all the courgette slices in flour then cover half of them in egg. Cover the other half of the slices in egg, and then breadcrumbs. If you want them a bit spicier, make sure to add the chilli powder or flakes to the breadcrumbs. If you do this one by one you will end up with your hands being more battered than the courgette slices so make sure you cover all the slices in flour first then proceed to the other steps as you desire.
8. Heat up the oil in a deep frying pan and fry them on medium heat for a few minutes on each side, until golden brown.
9. Place them on a paper towel so it can absorb any excess oil
10. Add salt and pepper to taste.
11. Enjoy!
Serving suggestions:
With garlic dip. I like to have these crispy courgette slices with a garlic dip/sauce made with 3 cloves of crushed garlic, half a teaspoon of oil, a pinch of salt and pepper and 3 tablespoons of creme fraiche or plain Greek yoghurt.
With mashed potatoes. They're great with mashed potatoes, salad and garlic sauce or you can have them as a side dish for other meals.
In a salad. They add another layer of texture and a bit more flavour to your salad
With soy sauce. Dipp them in soy sauce. You will not regret it.
If you like this Fried Courgette/Zucchini recipe, please click on the little heart below.
If you try it, please let me know in the comments how it went.
I hope life is treating you well.
Take care.