Marinated Zucchini
I came back with a brilliant idea from the island of Brac, Croatia. Grill Garden was the name of the restaurant where I saw these zucchini. They had an open kitchen and when I passed by it, these sassy zucchini caught my eye. I hoped that what I had ordered would contain these zucchini. Wish granted, because ALL the dishes either contained or were at least decorated with long strips of zucchini. The tuna tartare was placed on zucchini, the shrimp-stuffed dumplings were decorated with a strip, the salads contained pieces of zucchini... They looked so good that they brightened up any plate and moreover they were delicious: flavorful (which is quite something for how bland they usually are, or is it just me?) and still crunchy, but not raw. A project for home, I told myself!
Ingredients
2 small zucchini (dark green skin; must be as young and small as possible so they don't have bothersome seeds)
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + a little oil for brushing and drizzling
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 heaping teaspoons capers in vinegar
salt
How to prepare marinated zucchini
- Cut the zucchini into the thinnest possible strips lengthwise. I used this mandoline so my slices came out super thin and even.
- Arrange the slices next to each other on kitchen paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Let them drain for 20 minutes. At the end, blot the tops with paper towels as well. Brush the tops with a little olive oil using a brush.
- Heat your widest pan well. Place strips in the pan, oiled side down, without crowding them. Leave for 30 seconds, then flip and leave for another 30 seconds. The slices shouldn't cook completely or brown. Just cook very lightly so they "sweeten" a bit.
- Remove the strips to the widest dish you have and as you stack them, sprinkle with a little salt. Drizzle with a little olive oil as well.
- When you've finished all of them, add the remaining 5 tablespoons of olive oil, the lemon juice and the capers (don't drain them too well, leave some liquid). Gently shake the dish so the liquid gets between the zucchini. Let sit for 1 hour at room temperature, then they can be used. They keep well in the refrigerator, but should be taken out half an hour before so they have time to come back to room temperature.
- They're great in salads, sandwiches, on open-faced sandwiches, on pasta, pizza... Wherever you feel the need for something crunchy and/or something beautiful. Tomorrow I'll show you the simple open-faced sandwiches I made with them.
