This weekend I had a pile of zucchini which I needed to use before they spoiled. Often I’d use these to make zucchini bread, but this weekend I wasn’t feeling like making something sweet. I wanted to make something savory instead. Ideally something to serve as an appetizer.
When I go to Italian restaurant one of the things I often order are breaded zucchini sticks. I really like this crunchy salty savory appetizer. So I wondered if perhaps I could make an oven fried version of it.
Oven frying can be a great alternative to using a traditional fryer but may require slight changes to the recipe to get the same crunchy texture. One of the changes I typically make is to use panko bread crumbs in place of traditional breadcrumbs. Panko contains less salt and it easier to get to crisp when oven frying.
So to make my oven fried zucchini sticks I cut the zucchini into 2-3 inch wedges. Next I salted them lightly to release a bit of the water. While the water was releasing, I arranged three bowls: one with flour, one with scrambled egg, and the last with panko. Then I preheated the oven to 425 degrees and lined a baking sheet with parchment.
Next I breaded the zucchini wedges starting with dredging in flour, then coating with egg, lasting breading in panko. I repeated this step for each wedge placing them on the parchment lined baking sheet. The last step before baking was to spray the breaded sticks with oil. I like avocado oil for this. Then I baked them for 15-20 minutes. I checked on them midway through the bake to see if they needed to be flipped as the bottom sometimes can get too brown. Sprinkle with coarse salt and serve with fresh warm tomato basil sauce.