Fried, Marinated Zucchini

What to do with the last batch of Summer zucchini? This recipe will delight you. I serve it along with my charcuterie board.

Ingredients:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

6 sprigs fresh mint

4 medium zucchinis, trimmed and cut crosswise into 1/4″-thick slices

1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar

3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Pour oil into a wide medium pot to a depth of 1″ and heat over medium-high heat until temperature reaches 350º on a candy thermometer. Meanwhile, pick leaves from 4 sprigs of the mint, coarsely chop, and set aside. Line a sheet pan with 3-4 layers of paper towels and set aside.

Working in batches, fry zucchini in hot oil until lightly browned and soft, 5-6 minutes per batch. Transfer zucchini with a slotted spoon to the paper towels to drain.

Arrange half of the zucchini, slightly overlapping, in a wide medium dish. Sprinkle half of the vinegar, chopped mint, and garlic over zucchini and season to taste with salt and pepper. Repeat process with the remaining zucchini, vinegar, chopped mint, and garlic and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Serve zucchini at room temperature, garnished with leaves from the remaining 2 sprigs mint.