Beer Battered Zucchini with Lime Cilantro Aioli ~ what’s not to love about this crispy fried zucchini and zesty dip? This is going to the favorite appetizer at your next party, guaranteed!
I’ve recently discovered that I can ‘deep fry’ foods in just a 1/2 inch of oil. And all it takes to whip up delicious beer batter is seasoned flour and a bottle of beer. These two simple realizations have opened up a whole new realm of deliciousness here in my kitchen.
Whenever our family spots fried vegetables on any menu we always order them. Yucca fries, sweet potato fries, fried zucchini, eggplant, onions or mushrooms…we love it all, and a good dipping sauce can really put them over the top. Making these restaurant-only treats at home on a whim is really fun.
The aioli was very easy to whip up in the mini processor, and a large frying pan works well for the zucchini. You can make the sauce spicy by adding half a jalapeno or a little cayenne pepper. Of course you can also experiment with all sorts of other flavors for the dipping sauce!
Tip ~ It helps to have a thermometer to check the temperature of the oil. If you don’t have one, heat the oil on medium and check the temperature with a blob of batter. It should sizzle upon contact, and turn golden within 2 minutes. If it stays white, or burns, adjust your heat.
When coating the zucchini, use one hand for the four and one for the batter. That way you always have one dry hand free. Shake off the excess flour and batter before proceeding with the next steps.
This beer battered zucchini is a great way to use up zucchini if you’re sick of zucchini bread, and it makes a perfect summer appetizer!
Beer Battered Zucchini with Lime Cilantro Aioli
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini
- 1 1/2 cups flour divided
- 1 tsp salt
- fresh pepper
- 1 bottle of beer
- vegetable oil for frying
cilantro lime aioli
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 egg yolk
- a handful of fresh cilantro leaves
- zest and juice of 1 lime
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Make the sauce by putting the garlic into a mini processor and process till finely minced.
- Add in the egg yolk, cilantro, lime juice and zest and process till blended and the cilantro is finely minced.
- While the machine is running, drizzle in the olive oil and process until the sauce thickens and turns a pale green. Stop once or twice to scrape down the sides. Add enough oil so that the sauce is a dipping consistency.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and more lime juice if necessary. Set aside.
- Cut the zucchini into even sticks.
- Put 1/2 cup flour on a plate and set aside for dredging.
- Put 1 cup flour in a shallow bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
- While whisking, gradually pour in the beer until the batter has the consistency of a thick pancake batter, whisking until mostly smooth.
- In a wok or frying pan heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil to 350 degrees.
- Dredge the zucchini sticks in the flour, and then into the batter. Making sure they are completely covered in batter, shake off excess and drop them into the hot oil. Do them in small batches so the oil stays hot, I fried about 4 or 5 at a time.
- Fry them for about 2 minutes total, turning them halfway through. They should be golden brown.
- Drain on paper towels.
Don’t forget to pin this Beer Battered Zucchini with Lime Cilantro Aioli!
More ways to use up zucchini!
- GREEK ZUCCHINI FRITTERS ~ Nutmeg Nanny
- BAKED ZUCCHINI CHIPS ~ A Spicy Perspective
- SUPER EASY PARMESAN CRUSTED ZUCCHINI ~ Real Housemoms
16 Comments
Dianna
September 12, 2013 at 2:42 pmI don’t drink beer so I never know what kind I should buy for a beer battered dip. What kind of beer is best? Lager, ale, stout, etc.?
Sue
September 13, 2013 at 6:27 amIt can be any beer, Dianna, I’m not picky! The stronger the beer, the more flavor you’ll get in the batter.
The Slow Roasted Italian
August 9, 2012 at 3:10 pmLove these Sue. I may have to give these a try. I may even get Chad to eat zucchini if it is beer battered and fried.
Sarah
February 11, 2012 at 11:24 pmFound this while searching for an easy pan-fried zucchini recipe. Both the zucchini sticks and the aioli came out fabulous, and were a huge hit at a party.
(By the way, I substituted garlic powder for the fresh garlic, and lemon juice for the lime juice, so I could make this with what I had on hand, and it worked out just fine.)
Vegan Magic
January 7, 2012 at 7:46 pmI found your blog through Tasteologie. Made these last night with a vegan dip, they were absolutely delicious (and I’m not a fan of zucchini). So crispy! Thank you for the recipe.
Liza in Ann Arbor
January 2, 2012 at 8:52 pmHi, I’m new to your blog but I must say that these certainly look fun and delicious. Will be great for a “snow day” this winter.