Zucchini Salad

Crisp zucchini in a flavorful aromatic dressing, perfect for summer.

Zucchini Salad

Serves 4 - 6

Somehow, zucchini has become one of my favorite vegetables. I wouldn’t touch it with a 10-foot pole as a child but now, I’ll happily eat zucchini in any form I can get it. Many people cook zucchini, but it is equally delicious and interesting raw. Zucchini is very subtly flavored and lends itself to many different flavorful additions.

“Recipe Tips:

1. I usually make a lot of this salad and leave the leftovers in the fridge as banchan for the week. The zucchini will release quite a bit of liquid and soften some as it sits. This is normal.

2. This salad is easily made vegan by omitting the fish sauce and replacing it with yondu (a Korean fermented vegetable broth), tamari or soy sauce.”

Ingredients

680g (1.5 lbs) zucchini, julienne

2 scallions, thinly sliced

Dressing

1.5 T vegetable oil

5g (1 t) ginger, minced

5 garlic cloves, minced

3 small dried chilis, sliced

1 t sesame seeds

1 T soy sauce

2.5 t rice vinegar

1.5 t sesame or chili oil

1 t fish sauce

1 t maesil or honey

0.25 t kosher salt

0.25 t ground white pepper

Recipe Know-how

1.      Toss zucchini and scallions together in a large bowl.

• Keep refrigerated until right before serving.

Make dressing.

2.      In a small saucepot, heat the oil until smoking.

• Turn off heat.

• Add ginger, garlic, chili and sesame seeds. Swirl gently until sizzling subsides.

The garlic may brown some but should not burn.

• Add remaining dressing ingredients and mix well.

• Allow to stand at least 10 minutes or until needed.

3.      Right before serving, toss zucchini in dressing.

Alternatively, you can simply pour the dressing over the zucchini before serving.

4.      Serve immediately with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.