Zucchini Fries (With Garlic Aioli Sauce)

This is my all time favorite appetizer! It is famous by the Carrabba’s Italian Restaurant, which is where I first tried it and fell in love with it. These zucchini fries are just perfect and so easy to make. They look beautiful on the dinner table and will definitely impress your guests! Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, served with the garlic aioli sauce they are delicious beyond words. This sauce completes them and without it they really would not taste as amazing, so I really, really recommend serving them with the garlic aioli sauce. I always make the sauce a day ahead of time, because it tastes best if it marinates for a few hours and I don’t like to wait… My son loved these so much, he kept sneaking them while I was cooking! So your kids will love these and they are healthier then potato fries, at Carrabba’s some waiters  refer to these as the “Healthy french fries” Lol.  😉

Zucchini Fries and Garlic Aioli Sauce {Serves 4}

Ingredients:  (For the Garlic Aioli Sauce)

•  1 whole HEAD of Garlic
• 1 Cups Mayonnaise
• 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
• 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing

*I make double the sauce because my family loves it!*

Ingredients:  (For the zucchini fries)

• 6 Zucchini’s
• 1 Cup Milk
• 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:  (For the Garlic Aioli Sauce)

1) Take the garlic head, Cut the top 1/2 inch from the garlic head, to reveal the cloves. Discard the top.

2) Place the garlic head, cut side up, in a small baking dish. Drizzle the cut surface of the garlic head with olive oil. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper.

3) Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil, Keep the garlic head, cut side up. Bake in a conventional oven (or regular oven if you don’t have a conventional one) for about 1 hour and 30 minutes on 300 Degrees. It will be done when the garlic is deep beige and very tender when squeezed with a fork. Let it cool before you make the sauce.

4) To make the sauce, Gently take the garlic cloves out of the peel and put them into a large bowl. Mash the garlic cloves with a fork. Add the mayonnaise, lemon juice, and balsamic vinaigrette dressing and mix well until combined. Season with a little salt and pepper. Cover and store it in the fridge. *For best results, refrigerate it overnight or at least a few hours!*

Directions:   (For the Zucchini fries)

1) Wash the zucchini and cut it into “French Fry” pieces. (As Pictured below.) I cut the zucchini to separate it into 3 cylinders. Then cut each cylinder into four, and from there cut it into french fry pieces.

2) Line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels. Pour enough oil to come 2 inches up the side of a Medium sized saucepan. Heat over Medium-High heat (I did an 8.5), to reach 350 degrees on a deep-frying thermometer.

3)Mix the flour, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl. Pour the milk into a second bowl. Keep the zucchini also in a large bowl. I had a little “station” going on.

4) Take a little handful of zucchini, dip it in the milk, shake off the excess milk, then coat the zucchini with the flour. Shake off the excess flour and add it to the oil. * Make sure you really shake off the excess milk and then shake off the excess flour! This is important because if you don’t the zucchini fries will get clumpy!*

5) Cook until they get golden in color, About 2-4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, take the cooked zucchini fries out of the saucepan and shake off the oil a bit so it drains through the spoon. Then put the zucchini fries in the rimmed baking sheet, on top of the paper towels. This drains out any extra oil.

*IMPORTANT Tips: Add the zucchini to the saucepan in SMALL batches. I did about 2-3 handfuls. If you throw too much in at once they will take forever to cook through (Like 15 minutes) and will not be as crispy but soggy! I use one hand to dip the zucchini into the milk then put it into the bowl of flour, and the other hand to dip it into the flour and then add it to the saucepan. This way my hands don’t get covered with gloppy, dough looking paste and make a big mess. Also if you want the zucchini fries to stay warm, transfer them from the rimmed baking sheet with the paper towels to another baking sheet with parchment paper and keep it in the warmer part of your oven, or if you don’t have one, keep it on 150 to 200 degrees in the oven.

*I serve the zucchini fries hot with the Garlic Aioli sauce in little ramekins or custard cups.*