Cajun Fried Eggplant

One of my favorite things about summer are the fresh vegetables from my husband Scott's garden.  I love watching him work in it, the relaxation he seems to get from it and we all enjoy the 'fruits' of his labor!  It's my daughter's and my job to pick and cook what we grow and I think that is a pretty good deal.

Each year I say we should have been zucchini and pepper farmers because we do a pretty good job of having an over abundance of them!  We also seem to do pretty well with our eggplant, growing both the Ichiban and Black Diamond varieties.  I love them both, but prefer the Black Diamond as they are the larger, more rounded eggplant most people are used to and are easier to peel. 

Last night, I fried some up to go along with the Craig's UnKabobs that we cooked a few nights before and we really enjoyed them.  I used Zatarains New Orleans Fish Fry Seasoned dry batter also seasoned with some extra Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, water and fried them in Canola Oil, and then an added sprinkle of salt.  Along with a squirt of ketchup, I could make a meal out fried eggplant all by itself.

As my grandfather used to say, eggplant are a more 'educated taste'....that is that most kids don't like them.  But my girls always have loved eggplant, as trying them have never been an option.  Our motto at our house is that you never know what you might not love until you give it a try.

***You can also use the recipe below to fry zucchini or yellow summer squash!

Cajun Fried Eggplant

1 - 2 Black Diamond or Ichiban eggplants, pealed and cut in 1 inch round slices
2 - 3 cups Zatarain New Orleans Style Fish Fry - Seasoned already @ Zatarain's
4 cups Canola Oil or a good quality frying oil
1 teaspoon of Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning (we like it a little spicier)
salt to sprinkle on after frying


Wash and peel eggplants (cut purple skins off) and cut in to 1 inch round slices.  In a separate bowl place Zatarains Fish Fry meal along with 1 teaspoon of Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning and mix well. 

Dip each eggplant round in water and then immediately into the meal, pushing it firmly down to coat thoroughly on both sides. 

Using tongs, immediately drop gently in oil that has come to a low boil on your stove.  Cook on both sides until eggplant is slightly browned (see picture below) and wear an apron...(I can't tell you how many shirts I have ruined from grease stains - my Granny would be so proud of me wearing an apron as she was always harping on me about it). 

When eggplant are browned, take out with a tongs and place on a dish that has been lined with paper towels to 'sop' up the excess grease.  Sprinkle immediately with salt or sea salt(not too heavily) and eat as soon as possible. 

Side note:

***Last night as I cooked a huge portion. I turned the heat element on on my stove and placed the plate of fried eggplant in the oven between batches.   Remember if you allow the eggplant to cool too much and wait too long to eat it, they will become slightly soggy.

Serve these Cajun Fried Eggplant alongside any meal (with ketchup of course).  This eggplant is especially great with fried catfish, brim or bass.  We actually fry the eggplant along with yellow squash and zucchini in larger chunks when we serve this with fried fish in the same oil as we fry the fish, however we fry it last as the meal doesn't stick to the squash and eggplant as well as it does on the fish.

The Ranch Kitchen

Enjoy!   

The Ranch Kitchen's Summer Squash

The Ranch Kitchen's Summer Squash

Finally, finally, back to blogging and sharing my recipes!  Summer has been crazy busy...house flooded, car wrecked, two Hereford shows, braces, oral surgery, my almost broken arm, and then daughter's emergency appendectomy.  Life is good though and my glass is half full and not half empty, because through it all God took good care of us and we are all healthy.  

The above picture is of one dish I make very often in our house from the crazy amount of squash my husband's garden grows each year.  I have never really cared for boiled stove top squash, so this recipe I created is far better and allows this summer veggie to hold on to it's color and nutrients better.  

You can add any type of cheese over this squash recipe at the end right before serving or without it.  Either way, it's always one of my go to dishes when we grill or cook in the house.  It was  a huge hit at our recent Jr. National Hereford show in Kansas City and it helped bring a little bit of our garden to my annual Chicken Spaghetti for a Crowd feed that I do for our Texas crowd and other state friends. 

The Ranch Kitchen's Summer Squash

6 - 8 small yellow and/or green zucchini, cut in quarters 1/2 inch thick

1 medium to large yellow or sweet 1015 onion, sliced 

1/4 cup Canola oil or grape seed oil (or vegetable oil)
1 bell pepper, chopped (optional)

1 - 2 teaspoons of Cajun Season, All Seasoning Spice, garlic salt/pepper, lemon pepper or seasonings of your choice.

In Teflon coated pan or wok add oil and heat on low heat.  Add squash and onions cooking on low to medium heat covered, stirring constantly allowing vegetables to 'cook down' or reduce in size.  Covering your dish with a lid will help your squash cook faster.  Also, a lot of oil is not needed due to the water in the squash that will release as you cook.  Add Cajun Seasoning like Tony Chachere's or Zatarain's,  and/or All Season Spice as you cook, tasting to see if you need more or less.  You can also add lemon pepper or any spice you prefer instead.  Cooking time is usually around 20 - 30 minutes depending on the level of your fire or heat on your electric stove top.  I have also prepared this squash in a foil pack  a lot of the time when we are in a hurry by grilling outside or in the stove.  Just place your foil wrapped squash on top of a cookie sheet in case it accidentally breaks or you'll have a mess in your stove.  Also add 4 - 5 ice cubes to help maintain the moisture in your squash as they stove seems to dry it out faster even though it is sealed in a foil pack. Always wrap your foil in an upward curl on the sides so that you do not lose your juice from your squash.

Occasionally, I add grated cheddar like Parmesan, and/or Colby Jack cheese to the top of the squash as my daughters like it that way.  

I hope you enjoy this summer squash recipe as much as we do.  When I say we eat this squash a lot...that is an understatement.  My middle daughter says no more squash when she returns to college, but my oldest one requested this for dinner tonight as part of her recovery meal from her appendectomy surgery and healthy eating plan!  Promise it's good, healthy and great warmed up the next night in the microwave.  For that reason alone, I always cook it in abundance so I have some with my next meal!

Enjoy!

Alise