Lemon Herb Zucchini Salad Recipe

Our original zucchini salad recipe is one of my favorite summer salads. It’s very simple, fresh, delicious, and an absolute goalkeeper!

If you are reading this and being skeptical about the original zucchini, stick with me! With this zucchini salad, you cut the zucchini into thin coins (if you want to be fancy) and cut it into thin coins (or ribbons) and let it marinate for half an hour until it is soft and condenses all the lemon flavor from our simple lemon condiments. Once I started eating this salad, I couldn’t stop. It’s much better than you think! Fresh herbs and toasted buttered pine nut fruit add a wonderful texture and flavor. This is one of our favorite zucchini recipes, but for another salad, see our zucchini noodles salad!

Now, this salad is ideal for summer (or, in fact, always have access to fresh zucchini) and doesn’t need to be more than already listed in the recipe. That said, I recently placed it on a homemade tzatziki bed and spread the crumbled feta on top and it was really blown away. Simple proteins are also great, like slurry salmon, grilled chicken breast or marinated steak! I can’t wait for you to try this!

Key Ingredients

• squash: We will use original zucchini as a salad, so you need some zucchini that looks good. I looked for zucchini, which is heavy in size, firm and has smooth skin. I used green zucchini in the photo, but the yellow or green and yellow combination is great!
• lemon: Fresh lemon juice is the best here. I recommend 2 tablespoons in the recipe below, but you can always add extra lemon wedges to add lemon flavor. Lime will be a real fun alternative to this salad!
• Dijun mustard: I use dijon mustard sauce in many salad recipes for inspiring flavors that I almost always keep in the fridge. It makes our dressing more creamy and tastier.
• Honey: This balances mustard and rich lemon. If you like something else, use agave nectar or maple syrup.
• olive oil: This is the basis of our lemon sauce. I love fruity extra olive oil, but you can replace avocado oil if you want and you will only lose a little flavor.
• Herbs: This salad is related to freshness, so I like to add chopped fresh mint, basil and green onions (or chives). Mint is the star of this salad. If you only use one herbal medicine, make it mint.
• Matsuko: Pinecones are classics served on zucchini salads, but you can always use them instead of something else. I love their buttery flavor, but light, toasted almonds, chopped walnuts and even pistachios are great choices! For nut-free salads, I love sunflower seeds.

How to Make Zucchini Salad

This is a pickled zucchini salad, but I don’t want you to wait too long, so the trick is to slice zucchini. I use Mandoline Slicer. If you don’t have Mandorlin, you can use a knife. If you have peeled vegetables, you can also turn them into zucchini ribbon salad. Just peel the wide zucchini strips off the ribbon with the peel. I find coins easier to eat and prepare, but both are available!

Once you slice the thin zucchini, you want to make sure it tastes great in the salad, so pour it in some salt and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. When making cucumber salad we use the same strategy and find it worth it! Salt makes our zucchini taste better and slightly alters the texture to make it silkier and crispier, like Al Dente Pasta.

Rinse the extra salt on the zucchini and dry it with a paper towel before adding it to our lemon sauce, which you will make directly on the bottom of the salad bowl. Then, let the zucchini marinate for 15 to 30 minutes (or if you prefer). When ready to eat, throw away the chopped fresh herbs and pine nuts. I also like a pinch of gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) or Aleppo chili flakes. Very good!