cateory: courses
Breaded Fried Eggplant (or Any Other Vegetable)
Reviews: 198
Ingredients:
-
This is a model for shallow-frying vegetables so they’re
crunchy and tender—like the zucchini sticks you get in
chain restaurants, only better. The variety of toppings and
dipping sauces you can use is huge, though I always seem
to come back to lemon juice, maybe with a little hot sauce.
Frying vegetables without breading or battering is certainly
an option. But be aware that you’ll never achieve the
same crispness as you do when a coating provides a barrier
to seal in moisture and keep out the fat. Another cooking
option: Substitute half the oil for butter if you like.
Fried food is crispest immediately after cooking.
When done, drain the pieces briefly on paper towels and
serve. If you must hold fried vegetables for a bit—no
longer than 10 or 15 minutes, please—drain them
briefly, then immediately transfer them to a warm oven
(see below). A wire rack set over a rimmed baking pan is
the ideal, but any ovenproof platter will work.
Vegetables you can use: any winter or summer squash,
mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli.
- 4 or 5 small eggplant or 2 large (about 2 pounds), trimmed
- Salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour for dredging
- 3 cups bread crumbs, preferably fresh , for dredging
- 3 eggs, beaten
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil or neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn, as needed
- Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish
- Lemon wedges for serving
How to make
Breaded Fried Eggplant (or Any Other Vegetable)
Breaded Fried Eggplant (or Any Other Vegetable)
- Cut the eggplant into 1/2-inch-thick slices; salt the slices if you’re using large eggplant and time allow . Heat the oven to 200 F. Set out the flour, bread crumbs, and beaten eggs on plates or shallow bowls next to each other on your counter and have a baking sheet and stack of wax or parchment paper ready; add salt and pepper to the eggs.
- Rinse and dry the eggplant. Dredge the slices, one at a time, in the flour, then dip in the egg, then dredge in the bread crumbs. Stack the eggplant on the baking sheet between layers of wax paper and, when it’s all breaded, transfer the stack to chill in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes and up to 3 hours.
- Put about 1/2 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, put in a few of the eggplant slices; cook in batches as necessary, making sure not to crowd the pan and adding additional oil as needed.
- Use a spatula, tongs, or a slotted spoon to turn the eggplant slices as soon as they’re browned, then cook the other side; total cooking time will be 5 minutes or so. As each piece is done, remove it to drain on paper towels.
- Transfer completed batches to an ovenproof platter and put the platter in the oven.
Comments for
Breaded Fried Eggplant (or Any Other Vegetable)
Breaded Fried Eggplant (or Any Other Vegetable)
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