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Shaved Zucchini and Herb Salad with Parmesan

Shaved Zucchini and Herb Salad with Parmesan

Raw zucchini gets the spotlight it deserves in this elegant, nuanced salad with handfuls of herbs, crunchy hazelnuts and plenty of Parmesan.

  • Makes
    4 servings
  • Cook Time
    20 minutes
  • Rating

We adopt the Italian technique of slicing raw zucchini into thin ribbons for this vibrant salad. The zucchini really shines, balanced with the clean, sharp flavors of a lemony dressing along with Parmesan and hazelnuts. Inspiration for our bright lemon dressing came from The River Cafe in London and its spare, lemony, arugula-studded zucchini carpaccio. And we also took note of the hazelnut accents in zucchini salad recipes from Francis Mallmann and Yotam Ottolenghi. The hazelnuts—or almonds, if that's what you have on hand—gave the salad crunch and a slightly buttery note. A Y-style peeler makes it easy to shave zucchini into ribbons. Don't worry if the ribbons vary in width; this adds to the visual appeal of the dish. Toasted sliced, slivered or chopped whole almonds can be used in place of the hazelnuts.

Tip

Don’t dress the salad until you are ready to serve. The zucchini and herbs are delicate and quickly wilt.

Ingredients
  • 1

    teaspoon grated lemon zest, plus 3 tablespoons juice (1 lemon)

  • 3

    tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • ¼

    teaspoon honey

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • 1

    pound zucchini (2 medium zucchini)

  • 1

    ounce Parmesan cheese, finely grated (about 1 cup), plus shaved to serve

  • ½

    cup lightly packed mint leaves, torn

  • ½

    cup lightly packed basil leaves, torn

  • ¼

    cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned and coarsely chopped

Step 1

In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon zest and juice, oil, honey, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Set aside.

Holding each zucchini by the stem, use a Y-style peeler to shave the zucchini from top to bottom into ribbons; rotate the zucchini as you go, and stop shaving when you reach the seedy core. Discard the cores.

Step 2

Whisk the dressing to recombine, then add the shaved zucchini, grated cheese, mint and basil and toss. Gently toss until evenly coated. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle with shaved Parmesan and hazelnuts.

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