I wondered how I could enjoy a healthier version of one of my childhood faves, fried zucchini.
I first tried it when I visited Fire Island, New York, on a camping trip with my mom, when I was around 10 years old.
You ride the ferry boat from Patchogue, New York across the sound, over to Watch Hill. Long Island is a giant sandbar of sorts, and Fire Island, at least where I was headed, had no road in.
A camping trip with kids entails hauling a whole lot of stuff, and my mom was very creative in rigging up a system to roll everything onto the boat by wagon.
There was a popular campground there, which you could only get a site at by lottery, if by extreme luck. As luck would have it, she snagged a coveted camp site.
The adventure had begun, and I have always loved to explore new places, in the outdoors. Maybe I can thank my mom in part, for my love of the outdoors?
I would be camping there with my best friend, and her mom, amongst the sand dunes. There was a noisy wooden board walk leading us to our campsite.
It was along this walkway where I spotted my first ever muskrat. Essentially a giant rat, it took me by surprise appearing off the side a mere foot from me, before quickly scurrying off into the reeds.
Enough about the wildlife, since that’s not why we are on this topic. The takeaway from this camping trip was not the fun waves, nor the sandy beachy vibes. It was not even the cool creatures I got to see. It was, you guessed it…fried zucchini.
But with surf, sand, and scurrying wildlife, how did zucchini come out on top? For starters, I always ate my veggies. Maybe I watched too many episodes of popeye. Maybe it was because my mom brought home foods considered “weird,” in the 80’s, like tofu and sea vegetables. She had a veggie garden. She cared about health. This was when Hawaiian Punch and Captain Crunch were the rage.
I may have loved most veggies to this point, but Fire Island, was where I first experienced fried zucchini. It was never even on my radar before.
We went out to eat at this little seafood restaurant by the ferry dock, just before we left to head home. It was sort of the last stop for our trip.
I’m not sure whose idea it was to order it. But the zucchini arrived on a plate, with a creamy dipping sauce. It was almost paper thin, with a layer of crunchy crisp batter. It served alongside what seemed like ranch dressing, but it may have been garlic aioli .
I had never had this dish before, and it felt like I had never heard of this vegetable before either. It was an instant love connection. The zucchini, plus the thin coating of batter, fried to a crispy perfection.
I was always a “good” eater growing up, who ate all their veggies, but zucchini was never a favorite, until now.
My takeaways from the trip were the worst sunburn of my life, with my cheeks burnt to a crisp, and fried zucchini. Funny the things you remember as a kid.
Well here is another take on Fried Zucchini.
Mind you, this is not in anyway similar to the recipe I enjoyed there on Fire Island.
I would say that every fried zucchini recipe I have enjoyed since then, somehow reminds me of sitting there in that dockside seafood restaurant on Fire Island. Those beachy summertime East Coast vibes come to memory, when its hovering in the 80s, the smell of suntan lotion wafts through the warm salty breeze.
I happened to score some gluten free panko crumbs at the store. That meant fried zucchini was happening. In addition, I was making a healthy version baked in the oven, and not using any eggs. So this is also plant based, and vegan friendly.
Ingredients
1 zucchini
1 cup Gluten Free Panko Crumbs
3/4 cup Chickpea Water (Aquafaba)
3/4 cup GF Flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic
Coconut Oil spray
Dipping Sauce:
Blue Cheese or Ranch of your choice. I used the dairy free kind.
You can also try making this GF Vegan Cucumber Ranch
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Take three small dishes, placing GF panko in one, GF flour in another, and aquafaba in third. Put them on a tray to catch any stray flour or crumbs, to keep a neat workspace.
Mix spices and baking powder into flour with a fork or a whisk. Place a sheet of parchment on a large baking sheet.
Cut your zucchini in thin slices, or spears. Dip each piece first into flour mix, second in aquafaba letting it drip off, and lastly into panko, coating them on both sides.
Place your zucchini on a parchment lined baking sheet, and spray with coconut oil spray.
Bake them in a preheated oven for 10 minutes on each side, turning each slice carefully so as not to lose any of that precious panko, and spray the other side with coconut oil before returning to the oven.
They should be slightly golden, and crispy.
Serve these hot, with chilled Blue Cheese dressing, or the dressing of your choice.
May I suggest Ranch as your backup choice, or even Buffalo sauce for a spicy kick.
Tip: You can actually try this method with other vegetables you like, such as cauliflower. Let me know how it goes in the comments.
More Options…
- Try tossing these quickly in some spicy Buffalo Sauce, and if you do, be sure to chop up some carrots and celery for the side.
- Drizzle with a Peanut BBQ sauce, and add as a topping on a rice bowl.
- Go Italian and slather in your favorite marinara, topped off with some vegan parmesan, and mozzarella, yum!
I’m Serafina! I’m a writer and California girl who loves to go exploring. Hope you will get outside today, breathe some fresh air, and be happy!
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Disclaimer: The work on this blog is my opinion and my opinion alone and I am not responsible for the outcome if someone were to apply these thoughts to their own life. All text and photography copyright 2021 by Serafina, all rights reserved. Information and opinions provided are kept current to the best of the author’s ability. All readers’ usage of the ideas and opinions presented in the blog, are at their own risk. Be aware of the possible dangers of hiking, surfing, walking, cooking, and other activities, which may take place indoors or outdoors. By reading this, you agree not to hold the author or publisher of the content on this web site responsible for any injuries or inconveniences that may result from reading the blog, or partaking in any activity mentioned in the blog. Read the blog, and use its ideas, if you so desire, at your own risk.
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