Lemon Thyme and Ginger

Fresh Basil Marinated Zucchini

During the busy summer months we all need those back pocket recipes. The ones you can just whip out and create without thinking about it. Marinated Zucchini is just one of those recipes. It is so easy, after you made it a couple of times you know it by heart.

Basil Marinated Zucchini recipe

What I love about marinated zucchini is, the cooking process is simple and (to coin a phrase from Food52), genius.  First, you slice each small zucchini lengthwise down the middle. Once prepared, sear each zucchini slice in a skillet with olive oil. Then, marinate the seared zucchini for one hour in a basic vinaigrette and fresh basil. That is it. Simple, but a recipe that develops great depth of flavor in a mild tasting summer vegetable. If properly cooked, the acid will not make the zucchini soggy. Instead, it develops a bright taste yet retains the subtle and clean zucchini flavor.

Basil Marinated Zucchini recipe.

This recipe is from Canal House Cooking Volume 8: Pronto (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2013) via Food52. There is no need to make adjustments, it is already perfect. I just added a little more fresh basil right before serving as a garnish and extra basil flavor.  You could experiment with other herbs like lemon thyme, parsley or tarragon, but the warm sunshine flavor of basil is notable.

Is your garden overflowing with zucchini? Try these other great zucchini recipes from my archives:

Zucchini, Corn and Avocado Salad

Zucchini Frittata

 

Basil marinated zucchini reicpe.

This recipe is also easy to resize. The original recipe calls for a half pound of zucchini. Fortunately, I found the perfect size zucchini at my local farm stand, each one weighing about a quarter of a pound, (113 g). I decided to double the recipe just so I could have more zucchini to photograph and work with. I was also able to fit all 8 of my zucchini halves in my 10-inch cast iron skillet. Look for small, same size zucchini at your store or market. The little quarter-pounders are perfect. Big and fat zucchini may look impressive, but are not suited for this recipe. They take longer to cook and have larger seeds in the middle.

Basil Marinated Zucchini recipe

 

Nutritional Benefits of Zucchini 

The only difficult part about making marinated zucchini is remembering to make them at least an hour in advance. This is not a last minute recipe idea. I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to make marinated zucchini and realized I forgot about the marinating step. This is not a salad recipe where you add the vinaigrette just before serving. The hour marinating is important to build the bright flavor from the vinegar and sets this recipe apart from others. As a result, this is a great make ahead recipe.

 

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Basil Marinated Zucchini recipe.

Fresh Herb Marinated Zucchini

This is one of my favorite ways to eat zucchini. The vinaigrette gives the zucchini some character, yet still retains it's mild taste. The only thing that is difficult about making this great zucchini recipe is to remember to make it at least one hour in advance. The zucchini tastes bright and is accented from the warm sweetness of fresh basil. Vinegar will tenderize the zucchini so, be careful to cook the zucchini just enough to be tender but still have some firmness. If you have small zucchinis, about 1/4 pound (113 g) each, I portion one zucchini per person. This recipe is very slightly adapted from Canal House Cooking Volume No. 8, (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2013) on Food52.
Prep Time 3 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 18 minutes
Servings 4 -8 servings
Author Ginger

Ingredients

For Zucchini

  • 2 TB 30 ml olive oil
  • 1 lb 453 g very small zucchini, ends trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
  • Pinch of Kosher Salt

Vinaigrette Marinade

  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 2 TB 30 ml red wine vinegar
  • 6 TB 1/3 cup / 75 mlextra virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • Fresh ground black pepper to taste
  • 6 - 8 fresh basil leaves thinly sliced

Instructions

  1. Cook the zucchini. In a large skillet, heat 2 TB (30 ml) olive oil over medium high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the zucchini halves to the pan cut side down. Depending on the size of your pan and zucchini, you may have to cook the zucchini in batches. Sear the zucchini until nicely golden brown. After 3 minutes check to see if the zucchini is nicely golden brown*. If not, continue to cook on the cut side checking every couple of minutes until tender. Once the zucchini is golden brown turn over each piece, then cook on the opposite side for 3 minutes more. The zucchini is done when it is golden brown on the top and tender, but not too soft in the middle. Transfer the zucchini slices to a shallow dish and sprinkle with a pinch of Kosher salt.

Vinaigrette

  1. While the zucchini is searing, in a small bowl whisk together the minced garlic, red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and a couple of grinds of fresh black pepper. Pour the vinaigrette over the zucchini slices and add the fresh basil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for one hour. If you need to make this well ahead of time, marinate the zucchini in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container. Serve at room temperature as a vegetable side dish.

Recipe Notes

* The original recipe says to cook for 3 minutes on the first side. I have never gotten the zucchini a nice golden brown in 3 minutes. I have a gas stove top using liquid propane, and typically it takes 6 - 8 minutes to achieve a light golden brown. As with all recipes, use them as a guide because your conditions and equipment are different from the author's.

© 2017 – 2018, Ginger Smith- Lemon Thyme and Ginger. All rights reserved.

2 Comments

  1. loves2bake

    August 2, 2017 at 2:10 pm

    Yum! Definitely going to try this. Was looking for other things to do with zucchini 🙂

    Reply
    • Ginger

      August 4, 2017 at 9:28 am

      Thank you Laura. It is really easy and tastes great. Let me know what you think.

      Reply

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