Not sure what we would do without Instagram, because it’s not just mind candy. There are real skills to be learned which is where we picked up on the Thomas Keller zucchini craze. Who knew that we’ve been cooking zucchini all sorts of wrong all these years? Once you go the Thomas Keller technique, you’ll never go back. This is the best zucchini recipe out there.

The Secret to the Perfect Zucchini Recipe

I’ve made the perfect zucchini soup, that’s cold topped with peaky toe crab in the  summer, and served warm with just a touch of cream in the winter. I’ve also done relatively well with my version of the Milos special, which are lightly battered zucchini chips deep fried. After all, anything deep fried is pretty darned good. There’s also grilled zucchini if you’re fortunate enough to have a proper grill, or thin ribbons of zucchini on an indoor Le Creuset. The point is that there are so many successful renditions of zucchini recipes, but the Thomas Keller version is a life changer.

The secret to the perfect zucchini recipe is to manage the water content of the zucchini. Zucchini is naturally high in water, so that’s why when you try to roast it, you end up with a mushy mess. Thomas Keller’s zucchini recipe takes care of that my simply drawing out the moisture by scoring the zucchini and seasoning the zucchini with salt. The salt isn’t just for flavor though; it draws out the excess water. With this as the base, you’re set to make what will become your favorite zucchini recipe.

Serves 4 as a vegetable side dish

Ingredients

6 small to medium
Sea salt
Olive oil

For the garnish

Moustache Lebanese yogurt
Chili spiced olive oil, like Brightland
Mint
Basil oil
Zest of one Meyer lemon

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Rinse your zucchini well and drain in a colander. Cut the zucchini lengthwise in half. Gently score the zucchini diagonally in one direction; score the zucchini in the opposite direction so that it’s in a criss-cross pattern.

Lay the zucchini facing up and sprinkle generously with salt. Let the zucchini sit at least 45 minutes until large water beads form on top. Dab the excess water away with a paper towel.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high flame. Place the zucchini face down on the skillet and brown undisturbed until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan or your zucchini will not brown evenly. If you need to, brown the zucchini in batches. Turn the zucchini over and continue to cook for a minute more.

The next step for how long you roast the zucchini depends on how caramelized or firm you want your dish. I like to serve this over yogurt so I roast for about 8-10 minutes where the zucchini retains its strong green color. If you cook it longer, your zucchini will be softer and more of a mash when you cut into it.

While roasting, spread a generous layer of yogurt on a flat serving plate. Drizzle with chili oil, basil oil, fleur du sel and mint. Place the zucchini facing up on top of the plate. Drizzle with basil oil, and artfully arrange the whole basil, mint and edible flowers on top. Sprinkle fleur du sel to taste. Last, zest the Meyer lemon on top. For a heartier side dish, you can also add crushed pistachios or other nuts.

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