Fried Zucchini Rounds with Aioli Sauce

'Tis the season for zucchini. Lots of it.  It is great to shred up and make chocolate chip zucchini bread, or slice it up in an easy cheesy zucchini bake, or wrap prosciutto around it and grill it, or enjoy it in a cowboy hash for dinner, but my favorite way to eat it is breaded and fried.  It is a real treat this way, especially with this yummy aioli sauce.  Usually, I bread it in panko and bake it (crispy baked zucchini sticks) which I showed you a couple summers ago; a much healthier option for the days I don't mind turning on the oven.  But today was a day to splurge and there was a gorgeous zucchini ripe for the picking in my garden.

Fried Zucchini Rounds

Ingredients:
zucchini
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
salt, pepper
1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
canola or vegetable oil
for the aioli:
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh garlic
1 tablespoon finely minced chives
salt, pepper

Directions:

Wash zucchini and slice in thin rounds (about 1/2 inch thick).

Heat oil (go up the sides about 1/2 inch) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. You need enough oil to do a shallow pan fry.

Set up a little assembly line next to your pan.  In one bowl, mix the milk, eggs and salt and pepper.  In a second bowl add your bread crumbs.

Dip a few rounds into the milk and egg mixture, coating well on both sides.

Cover the egg coated rounds in bread crumbs, pressing the crumbs on both sides to be sure they stick.

Once the oil is hot, add the prepared rounds in a single layer.  Cook for about 3 minutes on each side, until lightly browned.

Drain on a brown paper bag or paper towels to soak up the excess oil.  Salt lightly while they are piping hot.

To make the aioli, mix together the mayo, lemon, garlic, chives and salt and pepper.

This is really versatile and you can add any fresh herbs you want.

Serve the fried rounds with the aioli sauce.

So so good.  Trust me.

If you are looking for a great appetizer, snack or side with dinner using zucchini this one is a winner.  Enjoy!