144Fried courgette slices

Method

Taverna-style crispy courgette chips. Serve piping hot straight from the pan, ideally alongside cold tzatziki or skordalia.

You will need

• mandoline or sharp chef knife
• colander
• wide heavy frying pan
• slotted spoon or spider
• wire rack

1. Slice the courgettes evenly into thin rounds roughly 3 mm thick using a sharp knife or mandoline, place them in a colander, toss with 1 teaspoon of sea salt, and let drain for 15 minutes. 15 min Ready when: courgette slices release excess water beads
2. Pat the courgette slices thoroughly dry with kitchen paper to remove surface moisture. 3 min Ready when: slices feel dry to the touch
3. In a wide dish, whisk together the plain flour and cornflour. 1 min Ready when: flours are uniformly blended
4. Pour the olive oil into a wide, deep frying pan until it reaches a depth of about 1.5 cm and heat over medium-high until shimmering and reaching roughly 180°C. 5 min · 180°C / 355°F Ready when: a pinch of flour dropped in sizzles immediately
5. Dredge a handful of courgette slices in the flour mixture to coat evenly, shake off all excess flour, dip them momentarily in the bowl of iced water, and drop immediately into the hot oil. 1 min · 180°C / 355°F Ready when: oil sizzles vigorously as slices enter
6. Fry in a single uncrowded layer for 2 to 3 minutes, turning once halfway through, until crisp, rigid, and light golden-brown. 3 min · 180°C / 355°F Ready when: edges are golden and chip-crisp
7. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate, sprinkle immediately with flaky sea salt, and repeat with the remaining batches. 2 min Ready when: drained slices remain crisp without sweating

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Make ahead and storing

Best eaten immediately; loses its signature tavern crispness if stored or refrigerated.

Substitutions

• rice flour for plain flour. Produces an exceptionally crunchy, gluten-free crust.

Common mistakes

• Overcrowding the pan while frying. This rapidly drops oil temperature, causing the courgettes to stew in steam and absorb grease instead of crisping.
• Stacking the hot slices on top of each other in a bowl. Trapped steam between the layers turns the delicate crispy crust soft and soggy within two minutes.

Regional variants

• Cretan style, cut into ultra-thin long ribbons rather than rounds
• Batter-fried style, dipped into a light beer batter before frying

About the dish

Fried courgettes are an indisputable staple of the Greek summer taverna table, almost invariably ordered alongside cold beer, ouzo, or tzatziki. The secret to achieving feather-light, crispy slices rather than soggy or oily rounds lies in salting the thin rounds briefly to purge excess vegetable water, dusting them in plain flour or a touch of cornflour, dipping them briefly in iced water to set the coating, and frying swiftly in abundant hot olive oil.

Found in all of Greece. Cooked for summer, everyday, sunday lunch.

Cousins elsewhere

• Kabak kızartması (Turkish). Fried courgette rounds served with garlicky yoghurt sauce are equally beloved in Turkish taverns.
• Zucchine fritte (Italian). Thinly floured and crisp-fried courgette rounds or sticks are standard summer fare across southern Italy.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

672 kcal · protein 4.9 g · fat 58.3 g (saturated 8.1 g) · carbohydrate 34.4 g (sugars 3.8 g) · fibre 2.4 g · sodium 602 mg

An estimate (summed from ingredient estimates) that varies with the exact ingredients. It is not dietary advice.

Written fresh by Epikouria editors from general culinary tradition. Recipe by the Epikouria editors. Following the classic Greek seaside taverna frying technique..