Fried Yellow Squash

One thing I love about summer is the fresh yellow squash. My parents always had a garden when I was growing up. They have always had a lot of extras that they either sold or gave away depending on the summer. Of course there are a lot of ways to cook the squash but my favorite is to fry it.  It can be fried in individual pieces or pan fried like fried potatoes. I like it cut thin and fried in individual pieces until it is crispy.  My husband likes cut a little thicker and fried individually or pan fried with onions and potatoes. I have also put it in fried cabbage and sausage.

I am going to focus on the individual slices today. I prefer the smaller squash and try to stay around 6-7″ long and 2-3″ around the larger end. The larger ones are fine, but they have a lot more seeds and doesn’t seem to cook as well in the individual slices. I usually use the larger ones in other ways. It can be deep fried in an electric fryer, but be aware that the squash looses a lot of the coating so it usually ruins the oil for anything else. I usually just fry mine in a non-stick skillet.

Once you have washed the squash, cut each end off and slice the squash up into slices. I cut mine as thin as I can, but I would not recommend thicker than 1/8″ unless you like the center really soft. I lay them out flat and sprinkle salt on them.

I mix flour and cornmeal together to dip the squash in before frying. It doesn’t take very much of the mixture for a couple of squash, which is what I usually cook for just my husband and I. I don’t really measure mine but do use about equal amounts of each and stir it together, you can add seasoning to the breading mixture. I do add some pepper to the mixture, but I usually just salt the squash before I bread it, as it is hard to get the salt amount right in the flour mixture. We like the simple flavor of the squash, but you could add in any other seasonings that you prefer. I dip each side and press to get a good coating all over and then set along the sides of the bowl until I cook it. I do this a few times while frying so as I take one out I have another one ready to go in.

I don’t use a lot of oil, you just want enough to cover the bottom of the pan good. You can always add more if you need to later. I use vegetable oil, but you could use your favorite if you prefer. I cook on medium high heat and flip them until I get the browning that I want. Don’t walk away from the skillet once they start cooking because they go from ready to burnt very quickly.

Once they are done, I place on a paper towel to absorb the oil. After a few minutes I move to another plate, because the greasy paper towel will make them loose their crispness if they sit in that oil.

They are ready to serve at this point and they will not last long. It takes a lot longer to cook them than it does to eat them. We only had one squash left last night to cook and while it technically was enough for us, my husband did mention that he would have liked to have some more. I served the squash as a side for a chicken and gravy biscuit casserole. It was the perfect addition.

Fried Yellow Squash

Ingredients

2-3 Small Yellow Squash

Salt

Vegetable Oil

1/4 cup Flour

1/4 cup Cornmeal

1/2 tsp Pepper

Wash the squash, cut the ends off and discard, then slice the squash into round slices no more than 1/8″ thick. Lay out flat and sprinkle salt over the squash to taste. Mix other ingredients together in a small bowl and dip each squash in flour mixture. Place oil in a skillet and bring to medium high heat, place squash in oil one at a time until the skillet is full. When the edges start to brown, flip squash to cook other side. When cooked to desired crispness, remove and place on paper towels to drain. After a few minutes, move to another plate. They are then ready to serve.

If you don’t have a garden, yellow squash is plentiful at farmer’s markets and grocery stores this time of the year. How do you like your squash? Leave a comment and let me know.

You might like these other sides – Macaroni with Tomato Juice and Skillet Onion Potatoes.

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