Combining two of my favorite summer produce staples: zucchini and strawberries. The result? A large platter of charred zucchini with pickled strawberry vinaigrette. Topped with shaves a parmesan cheese, fresh basil, and some toasted sunflower seeds. It is such a fresh + vibrant recipe that is easily thrown together for any summer gathering!
While I get excited about summer produce every year, I’m really embracing it more than usual right now. I’m so inspired to create new and exciting combinations, fun flavor profiles, and approachable, rustic recipes with all of the abundance that summer has to offer.
And this charred zucchini recipe does just that. It’s minimal in ingredients and simple in preparation, letting the tender zucchini and sweet strawberries shine.
You’ll start this charred zucchini dish off by quick-pickling a pound of fresh strawberries (preferably from a local farmer’s market if you have one nearby…they’ll be extra sweet).
The quick-pickle is super simple. You’ll simmer some brown sugar, water, and red wine vinegar together and then pour the liquid over the strawberries. After 30 minutes, the berries are infused with sweet, tangy flavor…and you’ve got the perfect base for your vinaigrette. All the liquid needs is some olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and a good pinch of salt whisked in.
Once the vinaigrette is made, all that’s left to do is grill the zucchini and assemble. Don’t be afraid of getting nice, strong grill marks on the zucchini. They give the dish lots of smoky, charred flavor, which is a perfect contrast to the sweet vinaigrette.
A few more ingredients to pull it all together – toasted sunflower seeds, shaved parmesan, and fresh basil. So simple. So rustic. And it’s just one of those recipes you’ll want to make all summer long. I’d say it’s the perfect side dish to these baby back ribs…
PrintCharred Zucchini with Pickled Strawberry Vinaigrette
charred zucchini with a pickled strawberry vinaigrette, toasted sunflower seeds, parmesan cheese, and fresh basil
serves: 6
Ingredients
Pickled Strawberry Vinaigrette
- 1 lb strawberries, hulled
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ lemon, zested and juiced
- kosher salt
Charred Zucchini
- 6 zucchinis, ends trimmed
- vegetable oil
- kosher salt
- ½ cup sunflower seeds, toasted and lightly salted
- ¼ cup freshly shaved parmesan*
- freshly torn basil
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
Pickled Strawberry Vinaigrette
- Cut each strawberry into bite-size pieces (depending on the size of the strawberry, it may be into halves, quarters, or eighths). Add the strawberries to a shallow mixing bowl.
- Combine the brown sugar, water, and red wine vinegar in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Pour the liquid over the strawberries to submerge them. Let sit for 30 minutes.
- Strain the strawberries from the pickling liquid and set aside.
- Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the pickling liquid, whisking until emulsified. Stir in the lemon zest and juice. Season with salt to taste.
Charred Zucchini
- Heat the grill over high heat on one side and low heat on the other. Slice the zucchini lengthwise into ¼” slices. Toss the zucchini with a generous amount of oil and a good pinch of salt.
- Grill the zucchini over high heat until charred on one side, just a couple of minutes. Flip the zucchini over and char on the other side.
- Transfer the zucchini to the low heat side of the grill. Cover the grill and continue to cook until the zucchini is tender, just a few more minutes.
- Plate the zucchini on a large platter. Top with the pickled strawberries and sunflower seeds. Spoon the vinaigrette over top. Garnish with the parmesan, basil, and flaky sea salt.
Notes
*To freshly shave the parmesan, buy a small chunk of real parmesan cheese. You can then use a vegetable peeler to shave off thin pieces of cheese.
