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Fried Food—don’t panic, it’s ok.

Two important things to remember—adding vegetables to food isn’t that hard and frying is not always THE WORST THING THAT CAN HAPPEN!

I made zucchini cakes! They were wonderful and even had a crispy coating that reminded me of the fabulous crab cakes I had in Destin, Florida. Details coming up.

Now, why is a health food blogger talking about fried food? Because I love fried food and I don’t believe in completely cutting out certain foods. It’s ridiculous to think that I will never eat fried food again, especially fried catfish. In my family, some of the best memories are made sitting around a big table with plates of the best fried catfish this side of the Mississippi.

Believe it or not, there is a way to fry food without leaving a greasy mess. This wiki segment explains it best.

If performed properly, deep-frying does not make food excessively greasy, because the moisture in the food repels the oil. The hot oil heats the water within the food, steaming it from the inside out; oil cannot go against the direction of this powerful flow because (due to its high temperature) the water vapor pushes the bubbles toward the surface. As long as the oil is hot enough and the food is not immersed in the oil for too long, oil penetration will be confined to the outer surface. However, if the food is cooked in the oil for too long, much of the water will be lost and the oil will begin to penetrate the food. The correct frying temperature depends on the thickness and type of food, but in most cases it lies between 175 and 190 °C (345–375 °F).

Now, on to the zucchini. I shredded my zucchini, DRAINED it between two towels, and mixed with a basic cornmeal mix, one egg, and skim milk. I added some red onions and garlic as well. I made sure my canola oil was the right temperature, then fried them 3-4 minutes per side. They browned very nicely, but were NOT oily inside. I drained them for a few minutes on a paper towel. I was very surprised at how little oil drained.

IMG_7126

zucchini

zuc

The sauce

  • greek yogurt
  • milk
  • chipotle seasoning (dry stuff, not the canned stuff, but only because I was lazy)
  • lime juice
  • scant sprinkle of ranch dressing mix

 

These things were outstanding. I won’t make them every day or even every week, but they will land on my table again.

 

Oh, I also had some salmon and brown rice, just to make dinner somewhat healthy 😉

salmon

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Wednesday 6th of July 2011

[...] turned out pretty good! The key to crispy fish that’s not soggy and greasy is the get your oil hot enough. If it’s hot, the oil steams the fish from the [...]

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Wednesday 9th of March 2011

[...] love the occasional fried food, but fish is my favorite. After finding a great method for quick frying, I haven’t looked back at greasy [...]