I was thrilled to find this recipe! If you're anything like I am, you have loads of squash coming from your CSA, farmer market, or your own garden! These were a hit with they hubby who rarely touches a squash, and even my kids ate them without a big "ewwww, it's disgusting!" :)
The recipe is based on the one by Spicy Southern Kitchen. We ended up removing the cayenne and jalapeño, but only because we didn't have it on hand. Those would be yummy, too! I'll list below our modification.
The recipe is based on the one by Spicy Southern Kitchen. We ended up removing the cayenne and jalapeño, but only because we didn't have it on hand. Those would be yummy, too! I'll list below our modification.
Ingredients
- 5 medium-sized yellow squash
- ¾ cup self-rising yellow cornmeal— We found gluten free cornmeal and added a bit of baking powder, salt, and all-purpose flour to make a "self-rising" version. This recipe does not need to be "exact" to succeed. :)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour (You can easily substitute gluten-free flours if necessary.)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (we omitted and used 1 tablespoon chili powder)
- ½ a medium sweet onion, minced (be sure to chop finely)
- ½ a jalapeno, finely minced
- 1-2 drops Black Pepper Vitality™ essential oil (Another option is to use black pepper but this happens to be a spice we don't keep in our house, and we love using essential oils in cooking, anyway.)
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1-2 eggs, lightly beaten
- Cooking oil (I used avocado)
Instructions
- Chop off ends of squash, cut in half lengthwise and then into 2-inch pieces. Place in a steamer basket and place basket in a pot over simmering water. Place a lid on the pot, turn heat to low and steam squash for 12-15 minutes or until squash is very tender.
- Place squash in a medium bowl and mash well with a fork. This ended up not working for me so I added water to my Vitamix and shredded it. This required additional draining time for the squash.
- In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, black pepper essential oil, and chili powder.
- Mix together to bowl with squash, add onion, jalapeño, buttermilk, and egg. Mix together well.
- Add squash mixture to cornmeal mixture and stir just until blended.
- Pour oil to a depth of 1 inch in a deep cast iron skillet or a Dutch oven. Heat oil to 350 degrees. Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls into oil and fry until golden brown on each side, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with remaining ½ teaspoon salt while still hot.
- It's quite possible you'll need to add 1/2 or so additional cornmeal if you ended up with excess squash or if the mixture is too wet. You want the batter slightly more liquid-y than pancake batter.
- Enjoy!
What about you? What are your favorite ways to use summer squash? Let me know in the comments! I'd love some more ideas!
Like what you read? Subscribe for updates here!
Statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Information that is provided is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.
