Friday, May 15, 2009

Grilled Zucchini Salad


Here is my 3rd zucchini recipe for the summer. This is a salad I've been making for ages. It's simple, crisp and puts a smile on my face every time I serve it. You can easily switch it by using a medley of different vegetables - and can hold off on the chili if you don't enjoy the spice. I'm happy to say that my tolerance to spiciness has somewhat improved...somewhat that is! Oliver has tried, tried and tried again to increase my tolerance to spice, with some success, but sadly I can't compete with his.

Out for Vietnamese pho soup, he has the habit of adding hot sauce until his eyes happily water. He definitely enjoys it that way - and I.. well, I just watch. A little dried chili in fresh summery salad though, I can take!

Grilled Zucchini Salad
(serves 4)
2 zucchinis
½ lemon, zest and juice
A small pinch of dried chili
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 small handful of fresh mint leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Cut the zucchini in thin strips. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, add the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, chili and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Spoon half of this vinaigrette onto the strips of zucchini. Set your BBQ or indoor grill to medium high heat. Grill the strips for 1-2 minutes on each side.
Add the zucchini to the serving bowl and drizzle with the extra vinaigrette. Coarsely chop the mint and add to the salad. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!

23 comments:

Mary Bergfeld said...

This looks wonderful. We're not quite warm enough yet, but it's coming, I know it's coming.

MyLastBite said...

Looks delicious and GREAT PHOTO!!

Rose said...

Mmm! I love grilled summer salads like this! Can't wait to make it :)

Dana said...

I just grilled some zucchini to put in a quinoa salad and it made me remember how much I like it grilled. It gets so nice and sweet! I'm with your hubby - I like to eyes to water when I'm eating pho or sushi. :)

vanillasugarblog said...

I love grilling veggies. I think the best part, besides the taste, are those wonderful grill marks!

Anonymous said...

I love this idea of a grilled zucchini salad! Perfect for summer!

Coco Bean said...

I absolutly love grilled zucchini and am like you, I can't deal with hot spices. The first time I took Ian for Pho he ordered a spicy broth, then put more hot sauce in it. Boys will be boys though! Keep up the zucchini love!

pigpigscorner said...

I'm addicted to grilled/ roasted veg...The flavours are so intense! Great dish.

CookiePie said...

That looks delicious, so refreshing and perfect for the season!

The Italian Dish said...

Gorgeous, simple, perfect!

unconfidential cook said...

Grilled vegetable salads are my fave! Fortunately in LA, they work all year round.

Anonymous said...

mm! perfect for the summers, when fresh produce of zucchinis overflow! can't wait!

Salon de Sucre said...

I loooove grilled veggies and this is very well presented

Elyse said...

Sorry that I've been an absent commenter; I just finished up my law school exams and am finally getting around to my google reader. This treat looks fabulous! I love zucchini. It's such a great vehicle for spices, too! What a great spring/summer treat.

Simones Kitchen said...

I totally love zucchini! I think it is a perfect vegetable for summery dishes and I love how you can stirfry it, grill it and it tastes delicious in a lot of dishes. This looks like a perfect summer salad. Now if only the weather would be good enough so that it looks like summer! Love the photo too!

Cathy said...

I know I will like this way to prepare zucchini, so quick and easy. Love the addition of lemon and mint.

Olga said...

That looks perfect for summer picnics.
I think feta and tomatoes would go well in this salad too.

Nicole said...

That's a beautiful photo! Definitely want to try this sometime!

stephchows said...

Looks beautiful and I bet it tastes amazing :)

gine said...

mmmm ... zucchini are great and this recipe sounds delicious :-) .. XOXO

Elizabeth said...

Yum, I love grilled zucchini! This looks perfect!

Anonymous said...

You can never have too much zucchini! I love this salad; it's simple and refreshing.

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