So here you are as promised, these baked zucchini fries are the perfect vehicle for the Tyrokafteri chilli cheese dip that I posted yesterday. They are also really good with a basil pesto mayo.
I first had zucchini fries at a bar/restaurant called Liquid Lounge in Puerto Banus about 8 or 9 years ago. Liquid Lounge is not there anymore unfortunately but, at the time, it was the place to be in Banus. They had an amazing cocktail menu and a chef that thought he was Marco Pierre White. The food was modern Italian/British and they had zucchini fries as one of the starters.
I had them every time we went. They came with a basil pesto mayo and it seemed to me that everyone was ordering them as a side dish as well. We used to think that they must have had one person in that kitchen just doing zucchini fries. They were that popular.
I knew as I saw these courgettes growing where I walk with the dog that Zucchini Fries was going to be my first courgette recipe of the season. Definitely not the last though.
I have made them at home quite a few times and I’ve always deep-fried them in breadcrumbs. I made this version gluten-free and baked them instead of deep-frying. You know what, I think that they might actually be better this way.
The “breading” is a heavenly mixture of finely grated parmesan/manchego, crushed fennel seeds, ground almonds, cornmeal (arepa flour or polenta), oregano, chilli flakes and gluten-free breadcrumbs. And they do crisp up nicely in the oven too, if that’s what you’re worried about.
Baked Zucchini Fries Recipe
Serves 2 as a snack or side dish, vegetarian, gluten-free. Adapted from Prairie Table
- 1 medium courgette/zucchini
- 1 egg, beaten
- 35 gr (1/3 cup) finely grated parmesan or manchego cheese
- 35 gr (1/3 cup) ground almonds
- 35 gr (1/4 cup) arepa cornmeal (or polenta)
- 35 gr (1/4 cup) gluten-free breadcrumbs
- salt & black pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds (then crushed)
- 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
- olive oil
Preheat the oven to 200 C. Line a baking sheet with baking paper and brush it all over with olive oil.
Tip all the dry coating ingredients in a freezer/ziploc bag season well with salt & pepper and shake to combine well.
Wash & dry your courgette and trim off both ends. Cut the courgette in half into two even cylinders and cut each half lengthways into 8 fries. Make sure each piece has some skin to hold it together.
Put the beaten egg in a shallow dish or plate and season with salt & pepper. Toss 2 pieces at a time in the egg until coated on all sides, then drop the pieces into the freezer bag. Seal and shake about well to make sure they are well coated, then place on the lined, oiled baking tray. Repeat with the rest of the fries.
Drizzle over a little olive oil so that each piece has a little and bake for about 20 minutes until golden. Take the tray out of the oven and use tongs to turn them over. Put them back in the oven for about 5 minutes to crisp on the other side.
Serve immediately with Tyrokafteri chilli cheese dip or a basil pesto mayo.
I served them with my version of a Greek Salad too. Cos lettuce, tomatoes, chickpeas, red onion, cucumber, black grapes, (I don’t like olives), fresh mint, fresh parsley, dried oregano, olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper.
Enjoy!!
How AWESOME that those fries are baked! (my tummy can’t really take fried food anymore!). You got such great color!
Stunning – and baked too! I still have courgettes waiting to be used….:)
This is a dream recipe for me! I have a garden bursting with fresh zucchini and I was about to begin grating for the freezer and future zucchini bread or cake. I wonder how many zucchini fries I can eat in one sitting without feeling too guilty! The salad is amazing, too. I know what we’re eating for dinner tonight!
WOW! that breading mix sounds amazing..I can’t wait to try it
Oh my gosh, YUM! I want some right now, these look amazing. Zucchini is one of my favorite veggies…and it’s of course even better when covered in breading. 🙂
I love Zucchini fries. These will be so great with a basil pesto mayo. Making me hungry !
OMG, thats just perfect and solves the ‘what shall I have for nibbles’, when we are at Viola later in the Cape Quarter.They, of course, fry them and have a alioi dip. YOURS NOW….thats a whole new ball game !! They sound and look fabulous, really crunchy too I’m guessing ? I’ll try to make the pesto too the next time I have my chefs hat on!!
Disfruta su fin de semana guapa. xx
Looks delicious going to try this weekend 🙂
oh how yummy! They look very crunchy and delightful.
Looks fantastic!
YUM! These look so beautiful. Great job!
Oh, my! Those zucchini fries look so crispy and delicious! And your Greek salad? I could just dive in…mmmmmmm
I LOVE baked zucchini, this looks incredible!! Love your photos! 🙂
Can’t wait to try those fries! They look delicious – hats off 🙂
Ooh..I think I have to try and make these, they look fantastic! Great colour for being baked!
These are just beautiful and l love the fact that it’s baked and not fried. Will try this soon, bookmarked!
The last picture took my breath away! I really love colorful salad 🙂 Your baked Zucchini looks delicious 🙂
I love that you baked these! Sometimes I have so many zucchini that I don’t know what to do – what a great option.
I love the coating with cheese and fennel, oh to have Manchego cheese, would you believe it costs about €10 for a small wedge here! I even brought a load back from Sydney the other week because EU cheese is much cheaper there. I’m definitely making these.
I had my first zucchini fries at a bar in St.Louis! They are super delicious and I love the sound of dipping them into that basil pesto dip too. I’ve only had these with marinara sauce, but both of those dips sound great!
These look soooooo delicious! I can’t wait to try this as I love this appetizer (I like your addition of nuts to the coating…fabulous!)
Lovely photos too!
I love the combination of ingredients for the coating. These fries look so tasty!
These look absolutely divine.
we tried the cheese dip,I only had feta but it was lovely.Looking forward to the zucchini bakes now we are home,do you know where i can buy free range organic eggs in alhaurin?i only get them at hypercor but don’t go there very often.
we also did the green tomatoes agin with the arepa flour,worked much better.the chilli sauce turned out completely different,but still great.
lcx
Glad you liked the cheese dip! They sell free range eggs in Mercadona, not sure they’re organic though. The only other place I get them is from people/neighbours who keep chickens!! Good luck!
Yumm! Thanks for the recipe, gonna try this soon 🙂
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