Egg-Battered Zucchini Roll-Ups
I have literally grown up on zucchini prepared in this simple way—sliced into thin strips, dipped in egg, and fried. It was one of my favorite vegetables when I was little, and quite often my mother made our lunch sandwiches with the strips too, for us to take to school. (It’s still a great sandwich; see page 23.) Crispy and sweet and soft at the same time, the strips are delicious warm or at room temperature, with just a sprinkle of salt—as I serve them to my grand-kids—or dressed with capers and lemon juice, for adult tastes. Rolled up and secured with toothpicks, these are a great finger food for a party—a preferred morsel for martini drinkers, I’ve noticed. They’re also a delicious side dish for grilled meats and fish. At summer suppers, I put a platter of roll-ups in the middle of the table, where everybody at any time can spear one with a fork.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 10 as an hors d¿oeuvre, 6 as a side dish
Ingredients
Recommended Equipment
Preparation
To Coat and Fry the Zucchini
Step 1
Rinse and dry the zucchini and trim off the stem and blossom ends. With a sharp knife, slice the squash lengthwise into strips about 1/8 inch thick, flexible but not paper-thin. You should get five or six strips from each small zucchini.
Step 2
Dump the flour into a wide bowl or shallow dish. In another wide bowl, beat the eggs well with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and grinds of pepper. Set a wide colander on a plate, to drain the battered strips before frying.
Step 3
Tumble five or six zucchini strips at a time in the flour, coating them well on both sides. Shake off loose flour and slide the strips in the beaten eggs. Turn and separate the strips with a fork, so they’re covered with batter; pick them up one at a time and let excess egg drip back into the bowl; then lay them in the colander.
Step 4
Dredge and batter all the zucchini strips this way, and let them drain. Add the egg drippings collected under the colander to the batter, if you need more.
Step 5
Pour canola oil into the skillet to a depth of 1/3 inch, and set it over medium-high heat. Cover a baking sheet or large platter with several layers of paper toweling, and place it near the stove.
Step 6
When the oil is very hot (not smoking), test it by dropping in a half-strip of battered zucchini. It should sizzle actively and begin to crisp around the edges within 1/2 minute, but not smoke or darken. When the oil is right, quickly slip several strips into the skillet, using kitchen tongs or a long fork to avoid spatters of hot oil. Don’t crowd the strips—no more than seven at a time in a 12-inch pan—so they crisp quickly and won’t absorb oil.
Step 7
Maintain the heat so the strips are sizzling actively. Cook on the first side for 1 1/2 minutes or so, then flip them over. They should be nicely colored on the first side; if not, raise the heat slightly. Cook the second side for another 1 1/2 minutes, until golden and crisp, then transfer the strips to the paper towels. Lay them flat in a single layer, and sprinkle them while hot with pinches of salt.
Step 8
Fry all the strips in batches, and salt lightly right after (use 1/4 teaspoon salt for all of them, or more to taste). It’s best to let them cool uncovered, but if you need the space, lay paper towels over a sheet of strips to drain the next ones to come out of the skillet. Let the slices cool for a few minutes.
Forming the Roll-Ups
Step 9
Place a fried strip pointing away from you on your worktable, with the wider end (from the blossom end of the zucchini) facing you. Place three or four capers on that end, then roll the strip tightly, enclosing the capers in the center. Stick a toothpick all the way through the roll-up, so it stays together. Roll up all the strips—or as many as you want.
Step 10
Just before serving, stand the roll-ups on end and squeeze drops from a half-lemon (through a strainer to catch the seeds) all over the spiral tops. Arrange them on a serving platter. If you like capers as much as I do, scatter another teaspoon or so of drained capers all over.
