10 July 2014

Zesty Zucchini Salad


Zesty Zucchini Salad / www.delightfulrepast.com

If your own garden isn't overrun with zucchini at some point this summer, you no doubt have a friend, neighbor or coworker bringing you bags of the stuff from his garden. Fortunately, you can do a lot with zucchini--from main dishes to desserts. Here's my zesty zucchini salad for a too-hot-to-cook kind of day.

I didn't plant any this year myself. I just knew I wasn't up to riding herd on a rambunctious zucchini patch. It's a very rewarding plant for beginners or gardeners who lack confidence -- no matter what you do, it flourishes and makes you feel like the real deal! 

If you're making a meal for 8 people, you can double or triple this recipe and really whittle that pile of zucchini down. I wouldn't necessarily multiply the amount of salt by 2 or 3, though. I give you directions below for getting the water out of the shredded zucchini, but as I was doing all that, I spied the salad spinner out of the corner of my eye and wondered. Hmm ...

Next time I'm going to try the salad spinner and see if it works as well as the squeezing method. Wouldn't that be a boon?! If you've "wrung out" salted shredded zucchini in your salad spinner, or ever do, let me know how it works. What do you like to make with zucchini? 

Zesty Zucchini Salad

(Makes 4 servings)

1 pound zucchini, shredded (4 cups)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound carrots, shredded (about 1 very packed cup)
1 small red bell pepper, julienned
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon lower sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1
Shred the zucchini. Place it in a colander set over a bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and mix it in. Let stand for 20 to 30 minutes. A lot of liquid will come out. Squeeze handfuls of it to get more liquid out. Then place it in a flour sack dish towel or couple of layers of unbleached paper towels to give it a final squeeze. Put the zucchini in a 1.5-quart bowl. Shred the carrots and slice the red bell pepper (I used my new Wusthof Classic 6-Inch Extra-Wide Cook's Knife), and add them to the bowl. Sprinkle on the toasted sesame seeds.

2
In small bowl, whisk together the sugar, ginger, pepper and mustard. Whisk in the sesame oil and soy sauce, making sure the dry ingredients (particularly the ginger) are not clumpy. Whisk in the vinegar and olive oil. Pour over the salad, and toss to coat. Cover and chill for 1 hour or up to 1 day.

41 comments:

Anita Johnson said...

Wow, you have quite a wonderful blog here....I'm always looking for things for our church small group potlucks. I will visit again! And I plan on heading to the post office. I can think of several friends that might like those stamps in a frame!

Karen Lange said...

I am going to have to try this. It sounds delicious. I will have plenty of zucchini soon. :) Thanks so much for sharing!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Anita, thank you; I think you'll find lots of things on my blog that you can take to potlucks. Enjoy the songbird stamps!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Karen! And remember to look at your plants every.single.day so you don't end up with zucchinis two feet long, as I am wont to do! :D

Cranberry Morning said...

That does sound very tasty, Jean. I didn't plant zucchini this year because it goes from'not quite ready' to 'past the edible stage' in about 5 minutes. Lol. I should have planted 1 or 2 seeds. Would have been plenty. Now I'll have to stop in at the farmers' market and pick up one for this recipe.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Judy, I hope you like it! Yep, you really have to pay attention - you can practically *see* the zucchini getting bigger by the minute!

My Garden Diaries said...

Pinning this right now!!! I love this! It looks delicious and we always have plenty of Zucchini!! Happy weekend to you! Nicole xo

Angie's Recipes said...

We eat lots of zucchini (and peaches) these days...mine are all from the supermarkets though. Your salad looks super, Jean.

Christine said...

We are growing zucchini for the first time this year. We've already made 4 loaves of bread. I hear there is a mountain of zucchini currently piled on my counter. Time to start passing them out!
Can't wait to try this salad. I'll be using the salad spinner. :)

Cheryl said...

This looks delicious, Jean! I love a salad with an Asian flair!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Nicole, thanks! Have a great weekend, too!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Angie, thanks. Next year I'll expand my garden, but this year I'm buying most everything.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Christine, let me know how well the salad spinner works. It seems too good to be true!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks so much, Cheryl! I hope you'll try it soon.

Melissa AuClair said...

Yes, zucchini is a confidence booster! I'm so happy it is growing this year...in abundance! I'm on the lookout for a new zucchini bread recipe, in the meantime, I'm making a lot of baked/stuffed zucchini. This salad looks delicious :)

The Cranky said...

I love zucchini... and methinks this salad will pair beautifully with the grilled lime/honey/ginger shrimp skewers I'll be making this weekend. By the by, you may have been mentioned (and a link put up) on the blog again tonight. =)

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Melissa, thanks! Hope you like it. I really like a nice not-too-sweet zucchini bread - I should post that, too.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Jacqueline. That does sound like a good combination!

Thomas "Sully" Sullivan said...

A veggie with a purpose – I like that! Lots of things you can do with zucchini. Doorstop and stick up a gas station are my favorites, but you can also use it to hit a baseball (if it’s early in the season). In winter, lash three of those things together and you can sled down any hill. And if you happen to be Japanese, it makes a dandy pillow as long as you’re careful not to get any of that in your mouth – ugh! Okay, I’ll stop. But I’m glad to see you at least shred the thing before you turn it loose on a table. Mix it with enough real food and it’s probably edible. Please don’t tell me there is a zucchini pie…

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

:D No, Sully, I don't make a zucchini pie! But I DO make wonderful zucchini breads and cakes, even a chocolate one! You would love the chocolate one.

Anonymous said...

I would love this. Thanks so much for the recipe. Hope you have a lovely weekend.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Mildred! Hope you'll try it soon.

Lea Ann (Cooking on the Ranch) said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog and the comments. Nice to find your site. This salad sounds good, and I'm saving this one for when I've got an army of zucchini rolling around on the counters.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Lea Ann, you've painted quite a picture -- I can see it now, all happening right on your counter! :D

Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic said...

Zesty zucchini salad sounds so good right now! This summer I want to try baking with zucchini.

Susan J Meyerott, M.S. said...

Yum, Yum, Yum Jean! Just the right sounding ingredients! I didn't plant any zucchini this year either--drought conditions. But I will purchase some and make this!

Your food photo as always pulls us right in...and the recipe adds just the right punch! Sue

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Bianca, you will love baking with zucchini, that most versatile vegetable!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Sue, thank you so much! You are always so encouraging. Hope it doesn't disappoint!

Jacqueline~Cabin and Cottage said...

Hi Jean! Thank you for your visit and nice comment! I hope you're having a great summer! I love zuccini in salads. This recipe looks delicious! I love a nice zuccini bread too!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Jacqueline, thanks! I had zucchini bread yesterday. Put some carrots in it this time, too, since I had them on hand.

Danielle Hatfield said...

Just made this over the weekend and WOW! Love it. Thanks for sharing it Jean!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Danielle! So glad you liked it. I'm making it again today.

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

This sounds so delicious and healthy, too! Love trying new summer time recipes! Hugs, Diane

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks so much, Diane! Hope you're having a great summer!

Bren Haas said...

I can't wait to give this a try ... just harvested a few big zucchini from my home garden!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Cool, Bren! Hope you like it. Happy gardening!

two birds said...

This sounds so delicious! We are growing zucchini in our garden, so I'll have to try this once we harvest it!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

I hope you "two birds" will try it and like it as much as we do! I didn't plant any zucchini this year -- knew I wouldn't be able to keep up with it!

Pauline Wiles said...

Love seeing ideas for new salads and zucchini is certainly in easy supply!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Pauline! And, FYI, I just finished your wonderful novel Saving Saffron Sweeting. I liked it so much I created a new category in my Delightful Repast Kitchen Store (the link is in the right column or sidebar or whatever you call it). The new category is called Just For Fun!

Pauline Wiles said...

Jean, what a lovely compliment, thank you so much. I'm off to check out your store now.