Cornmeal Crusted Fried Squash

Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. This recipe for Cornmeal Crusted Fried Squash can be made with any summer squash – just dip, fry, and enjoy!

Cornmeal Crusted Fried Squash

The making of Cornmeal Crusted Fried Squash

A printer-friendly recipe card can be found at the bottom of this post

Anyone who has had a garden with squash in it knows how fast those suckers can grow.  And how many each plant will give you.  And that would be a lot!  So I’m always looking for different ways to prepare it, and this recipe for Cornmeal Crusted Fried Squash is one of our family favorites.

Summer Squashes

This recipe can be made with any summer squash, zucchini, yellow, crookneck. All you need to be able to do is slice it into nice slices for coating. After slicing I dip it into some buttermilk (you could also use yogurt thinned with a bit of water or even some beaten egg whites) and then into the seasoned cornmeal.  I love the crisp crunchy outside the cornmeal delivers and it keeps it gluten-free.   If you wanted to, you could use breadcrumbs or even a combo of the two.

Options Galore

The seasonings in the cornmeal can also easily be changed.  In this recipe, I went with Italian seasonings since I was serving it with an Italian style meal.  Make it with Cajun spices (garlic powder, cayenne, onion powder, paprika, oregano, and thyme) or Indian (turmeric, garam masala, cumin, coriander, paprika) to adjust the flavor to complement your dinner and satisfy your taste buds.

Low-Fat Fried Squash?

A cup of squash typically has about 18 calories, with .2g fat.  I’m going to say these have slightly more than that, but less than any nutritional info I could find online which was about 318 calories and 15g fat.  All of those recipes were based on fast food fried squash, battered up with batter and deep fried.  While these are fried, when I poured the cooking oil back into a measuring cup, almost all of it came back.  (Remember that old Wesson commercial?)  The secret to crisp, non-oily fried squash is to make sure the oil is hot before adding the squash, about 375º and then, don’t mess with them while they cook, except to flip them one time.  Messing with them causes the coating to fall off and that allows the oil to get inside and soak the vegetable.

So, be patient,  watch for the edges to turn brown, and when they are browned and crisp on one side, use some tongs or a fork (or chopsticks if you are good with them) and gently flip them to cook the other side.  Once cooked, remove to a cooling rack to drain.

Do not put them on paper towels or paper bags or anything like that or the nice crisp coating you’ve worked so hard to get will just get all soggy.

I don’t like soggy so much.

I served these with some warmed marinara sauce for dipping.  They were delish!

So make some Crispy Cornmeal Crusted Fried Squash!

Cornmeal Crusted Fried Squash with Marinara Dipping Sauce

Perfect as a side to Grilled Balsamic Marinated Chicken Breasts 

Yield: 4 servings

Cornmeal Crusted Fried Squash

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Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. This recipe for Cornmeal Crusted Fried Squash can be made with any summer squash – just dip, fry, and enjoy!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 - 2 medium squash (your choice although I prefer yellow or green zucchini type squash), sliced about 1/4 inch thick
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, or as needed
• 1/2 cup cornmeal, or as needed
• 1 tablespoon Italian style spices (or your choice of spices)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 cup neutral oil (that's any vegetable oil you like, I use grapeseed oil)

Instructions

Step 1

Place the buttermilk in on a shallow bowl and the cornmeal in another. Add some salt, pepper, and the spices to the cornmeal bowl and mix well. 

Dip the squash slice into the buttermilk, coating both sides, then drop into the cornmeal, turn to coat both sides. Remove to a cooling rack while you finish coating all the pieces. (to keep your fingers from getting all gloppy, use one hand to dip in the buttermilk and the other hand to coat with the cornmeal).

Step 2

While you are coating the squash, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, or in an electric frying pan (easiest way to control the temperature) to about 375°F. When hot add the pieces of coated squash, (in batches as necessary, do not crowd the pan) to the pan, be careful not to splash, and allow to cook until lightly browned and crisp. Turn and cook the other side. Remove as they are cooked to the cooling rack to drain. Serve immediately.

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