What to do with all that zucchini?!
Anyone who grows their own food has seen their zucchini go from lovely little blossom to giant baseball bat overnight. This recipe is one of my absolute favorite ways to eat zucchini all summer, regardless of size.
This simple salad almost begs for you to add grilled shrimp. Do that and dinner is done! This is one of my go-to’s for a weeknight meal. It’s so quick, light, and delicious. And, I almost always have all the ingredients on hand in the fridge.
Enjoy!
Zucchini Salad with Pecorino & Almonds
Yields 4 servings
Ingredients
1# Zucchini, medium-sized, cut into 1” batons
1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted (chopped whole almonds or sliced almonds also fine)
1/4 tsp red chili flakes, or 1 whole chopped Thai Red Chili
Pecorino Cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler (parmesan also fine)
2 TB fresh lemon juice
1 TB Olive Oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Method
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a saute pan. Add zucchini, salt & pepper, and cook just lightly for 2-3 minutes. The goal here is to soften the zucchini ever so slightly and render off some of their water, while still maintaining a crunchy bite. It just takes a minute!
When zucchini are cooked, toss them in a bowl with the all but 1 TB of the almonds, the chili flakes, and lemon juice. Taste for seasoning and add salt, pepper, olive oil to taste.
To serve, place zucchini salad on a large serving plate. Using a vegetable peeler, shave off long strips of pecorino and lay them on top of the salad. Sprinkle reserved almonds over top.
