Batter Fried Zucchini Fritters With Lemon Aioli Dipping Sauce

fried fritters

Zucchini season is upon us and here’s an easy way to whip up some delicious batter fried zucchini fritters. The key method here is using a batter instead of any breadcrumbs, the batter is highly seasoned and it takes seconds to mix up.

You won’t need to do any shredding of the zucchini either, something I never liked doing because the zucchini gets water logged and then you have to spend time squeezing all that liquid out and not to mention it’s such a messy job!

fried zucchini

Batter fried zucchini fritters will give you an end result of nice crispy edges with a soft and tender inside, perfection in the fritter department!

chopped zucchini

What you need to do is take your zucchini, cut it right down the center, then quarter each half then with a knife slice off the seed portion as shown above, you’re not going to get all of it off and that’s ok, you’ll get most of it. Then proceed to dice up the rest.

chopped zucchini in batter

After you whip up your batter you’ll just drop your chopped zucchini right inside and toss to get it well coated.

frying fritters

Then just scoop out and start frying!

fried fritters

And before you know it you’ll have a tray full of crispy and delicious fritters!

eggplant batter

Back in the day my mother in law would make this versatile batter to fry up her eggplant slices and zucchini this way. For the eggplant she would just do a quick swipe on each side into the batter, then into the frying pan, her old school method never fails!

fried eggplant

The picture above is a tray of eggplant slices made with her batter, so good you just want to eat them like that!

fried zucchini fritters

I hope you try this easy batter method for your zucchini fritters and whatever other veggie you want to try. My mother in law never had a specific recipe for this, she would always say you just want the end result to be the consistency of pancake batter, some what loose but not runny. I did however try to give you specific amounts in the recipe below, but make it your own.

Enjoy!

Batter Fried Zucchini Fritters With Lemon Aioli Dipping Sauce
 
Zucchini fritters, quick and easy!
Author:
Ingredients
  • 3 good sized, medium zucchini, sliced in half then each half into quarters, slice off most of the seed section then small dice the rest. ( refer to picture in blog post)
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 2- 3 heaping tablespoons of chopped parsley, you could do basil as well
  • ¾ to 1 cup of grated pecorino romano cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • sparkling water like Pellegrino
  • olive oil
  • LEMON AIOLI
  • 1 cup full fat mayo
  • fresh lemon juice, enough to thin out the mayo
  • 1 small garlic clove, grated
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. In a bowl whisk together the eggs, flour, cheese, parsley and sparkling water until you get a nice pancake like batter consistency, not too thick and not too loose. salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Toss in your chopped zucchini pieces and. coat well.
  3. Get your skillet nice and hot add olive oil to coat the bottom. ( I used a non stick pan.)
  4. Scoop the zucchini batter with a quarter cup measuring cup, then press down a little to make a patty shape.
  5. Fry til deep golden on each side and place on a wire rack not a paper towel, sprinkle lightly with salt while hot.
  6. For the lemon aioli just mix everything together in a bowl using enough lemon juice to thin out the mayo to a nice consistency.
  7. A great snack, appetizer, side dish, light lunch or dinner.
  8. You can also dip them in warm marinara sauce.
  9. I yielded 18 fritters with this amount.

 

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Eggplant Salad/ Sandwich

eggplant salad
One of my favorite salads of all time is this layered eggplant salad. The original combination comes from a popular restaurant here in Chicago called Rosebud. The first time I tasted this I was hooked!
On the menu it’s described as an eggplant salad, but it could also pass as an eggplant sandwich.
eggplant salad ingredients
It’s typically served three layers deep with crispy breaded eggplant, sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and arugula tossed with olive oil and a touch of balsamic glaze.
Breaded eggplant and frying it might scare off a few people, but honestly you need that crunch in between the layers, plus it’s only three pieces of eggplant anyway.  I pan fry mine and control the amount of oil I use, but today there’s air fryers and you can even manage to get a crisp oven bake, I’m sure that would work as well.
The main thing you want to accomplish is to end up with a crispy, crunchy eggplant slice.
rosebud salad
You can go two or three layers high, whatever you prefer, and don’t be afraid to stuff those layers high!

I sliced my eggplant lengthwise, dipped each piece in beaten egg then coated each slice with dry breadcrumbs, you can also use panko crumbs and if you want to go low carb you can bread the eggplant with nut crumbs, I’ve done it and it’s delicious!

I used a non stick pan drizzled with olive oil to cook the eggplant in and when you get both sides crispy, place on a wire rack so not to get soggy.

Then it’s all about the layering, start with a slice of eggplant, then layer with fresh mozzarella, next the tomato, then pile high the arugula which should be tossed in a combo of olive oil and a couple of drops of balsamic glaze beforehand.

Repeat layers ending with eggplant on top. Secure with a pick if you like for more stability.

You’re going to love this!

NOTE;

THE LAST PHOTO WAS TAKEN BACK IN 2010, IT IS NOW 2021, I FIGURED I NEEDED A LITTLE UPDATING DONE HERE. THE PHOTOS MIGHT HAVE CHANGED BUT THE FLAVORS AND COMBINATIONS HAVE NOT.

 

ENJOY!

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