What more is there to say about zucchini, the most relentless of summer vegetables? And the recipes are as numerous as the squashes themselves in late summer. I’ve shredded, chopped, sliced, roasted, fried, stewed, even baked them into breads. The variety of zucchini recipes is probably a function of having so many of them to practice with.
For a new spin, I put down my knife and pick up a peeler. I shave the zucchini into ribbons. After a quick salt and soak, I add herbs and spices, some lemon juice, some nuts, and let it marinade for a bit before digging in. This salad will only improve with time, up to 4 days, tops. But then you can make it again. With yet another zucchini.
Zucchini Ribbon Salad
Ingredients
- 1 medium-sized zucchini
- 1 medium-sized summer squash
- ½ tablespoon kosher salt
- Juice of ½ lemon, or to taste
- 1 heaping teaspoon za’atar (if you don’t have za’atar, use a combo of fresh mint and oregano)
- Scant ⅓ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Angle your zucchini away from your body, and use a Y-shaped peeler to shave ribbons of the squash. Once you hit large seeds, turn the squash a quarter and start peeling the untouched sides. Peel both squashes until all that’s left is a cob of seeds in the middle.
- Place the zucchini ribbons in a colander in your sink. Sprinkle about ½ tablespoon kosher salt onto it, and let it soak and sweat out some water for about 15 minutes. After at least 15 minutes, gather your ribbons in a dish towel and squeeze as hard as you can to release water.
- Add ribbons to a bowl or container. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Let sit for at least 20 minutes before serving.
PHILIPPE JEANJEAN’S SUGGESTED WINE PAIRING
Molly Parr’s three dishes demonstrate how summer food rhymes with freshness and lightness. Let’s enhance them with a crowd-pleasing dry sparkling like an Italian Prosecco, a French Crémant or a Spanish Cava to match the acidity and the complexity of each of these dishes.
