Zucchini Fritter Parmigiano

Zucchini Fritter Parmigiano

Well folks, it’s official.  As of 10:29 PM last night we entered the autumnal season.   Am I making apple pie or pumpkin bread to celebrate this momentous occasion? 

Hell no! 

I refuse to say goodbye to summer without a small fight.  As a matter of fact this Zucchini Fritter Parm has a hint of summer in every bite.  Fresh basil has an uncanny ability to do that in a recipe. 

And this recipe is the perfect way to use up all those large overgrown zucchini that are so prevalent this time of the year.  If you've had enough zucchini bread and even those crispy delicious fritters seem to be getting old, this recipe is a must try.  It elevates the humble zucchini fritter from its snack or side dish status to delicious an almost elegant entrée that has a lighter fresher feel than the oven the oven baked zucchini lasagna or parm recipes one may typically make.

Even my daughter, who professes to hate zucchini, leaped on this one.  Did I mention that she had loudly demanded I not make any for her, since she wouldn't be trying it?

Chalk one up for mom.  This dish has curb appeal for sure. 

Zucchini Fritter Parmigiano

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 20 min

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 1 very large zucchini (3-4 cups grated)
• 1 egg & 1 yolk if necessary
• 1/3 cup gluten free self-rising flour (or gf Bisquick)
• ½ cup grated pecorino romano
• cayenne pepper, to taste
• garlic powder, to taste
• salt, to taste

Video Tutorial: 

Instructions

1. Grate the zucchini on the larger side of your box grater onto a large dish covered with a towel or paper towels.
2. Lightly salt the zucchini to help draw out the liquid, but don’t add more salt than you’d typically use to season it since we won’t be rinsing it.
3. After ten minutes of rest time roll up the towel and squeeze out all the liquid.  You need to squeeze as hard as you can to get it as dry as possible so the fritters won’t be soggy. 
4. Transfer the zucchini to a bowl mixing bowl, add one egg, the self-rising flour, grated pecorino romano, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. 
5. Mix until you have a homogenous mixture then if the batter looks too dry add the extra egg yolk and mix it in.
6. Since I was making 6 large fritters, I divided the bowl into 6 sections to get them all about the same size.  But you can make these any size you want.
7. In a large well-seasoned cast iron pan or a nonstick skillet, over a medium heat add 2 tbsp vegetable oil to the pan then add spoonfuls of the zucchini mixture and flatten them down a little so that the patties are about ½ inch thick and 3-4 inches in diameter.  
8. Let them fry for a few minutes on the first side or until they’re golden and start to dry out a little around the edges then flip and let them fry for an additional 2- 3 minutes or so on the second side. 
9. Then drain them on paper towels then they are ready to serve or while they’re still hot we can take them to the next level.
10. While the fritters are still hot add a small spoonful of heated marinara (hopefully homemade) directly to a serving plate then stack alternating layers of marinara, zucchini fritter, fresh mozzarella, and ribbons of basil.
11. Stack three layers high then top with a little crushed red pepper flakes and a cluster of fresh basil then serve.