Breaded Zucchini

This past weekend my daughters and I were invited to a wedding celebration for our cousin Anthony and his beautiful new bride, Amanda. Anthony and Amanda were actually married back in December in a breathtaking outdoor ceremony out on the west coast. So this was a celebration for family and friends who live here on the east coast. Of course, the biggest highlight of the day was honoring the new bride and groom while also spending time and celebrating with our amazing family. Being the foodie enthusiast that I am, I was taking note of the many dishes that were served to us. Luckily, this trait has also carried on to my daughters. We weren’t very far into the appetizer course when both Jules and Ava asked if we could try making the crispy and delicious breaded zucchini that we all just finished scarfing up. Which brings us to today’s post!

Breaded zucchini is a tasty and nutritious dish that is very simple to make. Just a few basic ingredients are all you really need: zucchini, breadcrumbs, eggs for egg batter and some seasoning. My breadcrumb of choice for this dish is Panko. Unlike traditional breadcrumbs, Panko is a bit more flaky and airy, which gives more of a crispy texture to the breaded food. Panko also holds up well when fried, however I prefer to bake as often as I can as opposed to frying, and this dish bakes up very well!

Before we get into the recipe, I thought I would share some of my tips and tricks when using Panko. I like to add grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano to the breadcrumbs for a nice, nutty flavor. For every cup of Panko, I add 1/4 cup of grated cheese. I also like to add additional seasonings. Italian seasoning and garlic powder are always perfect seasonings of choice. For this dish, I decided to use Everything Bagel Seasoning. It has a nice combination of onion, garlic and sea salt flavoring, along with the texture of poppy and sesame seeds. If you don’t have Everything Bagel Seasoning on hand, a mixture of Italian seasoning, garlic and/or onion powder, or your favorite seasoning of choice will work just fine.

When breading with a Panko mixture, I find that it works best to use the mixture in small batches as opposed to dipping the battered food into one big bowl of the breadcrumb mixture. Because Panko is more crispy and airy than traditional breadcrumbs, I find that they can become soggy and mushy when combined with too much of the wet batter. Think rice crispies after they have been sitting in a bowl of milk for a while. What I like to do is mix up the breadcrumbs and seasonings in one bowl, then add it to another bowl in portions. Just enough to use what you need, adding more as you need it. This will help prevent the breadcrumbs from turning into a pile of mush that will not stick to the battered food. Patting the food dry with a paper towel before battering and adding breadcrumbs is also a good idea to help make the breadcrumbs stick and stay crunchy.

BREADED ZUCCHINI

Makes about 24 pieces

3 small zucchini, sliced length-wise about 1/4 inch thick. You can keep the skin on or peel it ahead time. Keeping the skin intact will give a bit more firmness to the slices. You can also slice the zucchini into round chip shapes if you prefer.
salt for seasoning
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
2 tablespoons Everything Bagel Seasoning (or your choice of seasonings, such as Italian seasoning, garlic or onion powder)
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the Panko, grated cheese and seasonings in a bowl. Add the breadcrumb mixture in small batches into another bowl, which you will use for applying the breadcrumbs.

Pat the sliced zucchini dry to remove any excess moistrure. Lightly season the sliced zucchini with salt on both sides.

Dip the sliced zucchini into the egg batter one slice at a time, making sure that the zucchini slice is fully coated. Toss the battered zucchini into the small-batch bowl of breadcrumb mixture, lightly pressing the breadcrumbs to make sure they stick. Place the breaded zucchini onto a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Continue this process, adding breadcrumbs to the small batch bowl as needed, until all zucchini slices are breaded.

Bake until the breadcrumbs turn a golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve on its own, or with a dipping sauce such as marinara or ranch.

CONGRATULATIONS ANTHONY AND AMANDA!