Lemony Summer Squash Salad
Sunnyside Cook
A quick-to-assemble make-ahead salad that celebrates yellow and green summer squash and bright lemony flavors
Ingredients
- ½ pound small to medium zucchini
- ½ pound small to medium yellow squash
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove peeled and smashed but left whole
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped herbs—choose from parsley mint, chives, dill, or a combination (I used mint, parsley, and chives)
Instructions
- Using a vegetable peeler or a mandoline, slice the squash vertically as thinly as possible. (I cut each squash in half lenghthwise and then sliced the shorter pieces thinly.)
- Place the squash slices in a colander and sprinkle with the salt. Use a fork to lift the squash strands and mix the salt around as well as possible. Let the salted squash sit for 15-30 minutes. Rinse the squash, then drain well on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels.
- Meanwhile, mix the lemon juice, olive oil, and crushed whole garlic clove together and allow to sit until you’re ready to mix the salad.
- Transfer the drained and dried squash to a medium bowl and toss with the lemon juice mixture to coat well. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 4-6 hours. (I have marinated for it as little as an hour and it’s still good.)
- Remove the bowl from the refrigerator and lift the garlic clove out of the salad. Discard the garlic. Add the finely chopped fresh herbs right before serving. Taste for salt and pepper before serving.
Notes
You can use all green zucchini or all yellow summer squash, but the combination looks pretty. I used both a mandoline and a vegetable peeler and preferred the job that the vegetable peeler did. I turned the squash as I used the peeler and then discarded the spongy middle.
This recipe is adapted from “Marinated Zucchini Salad” by Martha Rose Shulman in the New York Times.