Marinated Courgettes: Side, Starter or Light Lunch
Marinated courgettes is one of those simple salads you don't believe will be nearly as good as it in fact is. With only a few ingredients, the flavours really shine. Serve as a side dish or scatter with either toasted pine nuts or goat's cheese to make a rather fabulous and elegant starter or light lunch.
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 91kcal
Equipment
- microplane (affiliate link) optiona
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 lemon zest and juice - preferably organic
- 1 pinch chilli flakes crushed
- 1 pinch fine sea or rock salt
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
Salad
- 450 g courgette (zucchini) 2 medium sized or 4 small
- 8 chives finely snipped
- 2 sprig basil finely torn, or chopped
Optional Extras
- 20 g pine nuts toasted
- 40 g soft goat’s cheese
Instructions
Marinade
- Start by making the marinade. Finely grate or crush the garlic into a small mixing bowl. Finely zest the lemon straight into the bowl too.1 clove garlic
- Add the chilli and salt, then squeeze in the lemon juice. Whisk everything together.1 pinch chilli flakes, 1 pinch fine sea or rock salt, 1 lemon
- Add the olive oil and whisk again.2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salad
- Using a mandolin or swivel peeler, slice the courgettes lengthways into long thin ribbons.450 g courgette (zucchini)
- Lay them in a suitably sized airtight container. Glass or stainless steel is best, if you have them.
- Pour the dressing over the top, then seal. Give the container a good shake.
- Marinade at room temperature, or in the fridge for 4-6 hours, giving the container an occasional shake to ensure all the courgette strips are soaking up the flavours.
- Add the herbs just before serving with a spoonful of the marinade and an additional drizzle of olive oil.8 chives, 2 sprig basil
Optional
- To plate up, if serving as a starter, lunch or party salad, pile the ribbons onto a large serving platter, curling them as you go. Use a fork or your fingers to do this. Alternatively, divide between four individual plates and do the same.
- Scatter the herbs over the ribbons then spoon a little of the marinade over the top. Follow with the toasted pine nuts, goat's cheese or both, if using.20 g pine nuts, 40 g soft goat’s cheese
- Drizzle a little extra olive oil over the top and serve.
Notes
If marinading the courgettes in the fridge, remove them at least thirty minutes before serving, so they can come back up to room temperature.
Best eaten within 24 hours.
Swap the herbs for chervil, dill, parsley or tarragon, if liked.
You’ll find additional tips and info about this recipe in the how-to guide in the body of the post.
Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used. Please refer to my nutrition disclaimer for further information.
Nutrition
Calories: 91kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 20mg | Potassium: 343mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 378IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg