Today, I was leafing through old photos of a trip my husband (then boyfriend) and I took to Mexico back in 2003. I remember having to justify the concept of a “beach holiday” to my fair-skinned Irishman, who couldn’t grasp the point of lying around, (literally) cooking under a devilish sun that was hotter than holy hell. All day. Everyday. For seven days straight. Looking back, I can’t blame his skepticism. As my skin became increasingly bronzed, his only knew to become frecklier. The constant heat exhaustion probably didn’t help either.
He did eventually find solace though. As I take a closer look at the photos, I see the usual sunset shots, ocean shots, and finally….ceviche shots? Why the disproportionate number of photos of ceviche? Well, we ate ceviche at nearly every meal. No, that’s a lie. At every meal. Ceviche –and icy cervezas, saved him from the heat and I’m guessing, at the time, he felt it important to duly document his Mexican heroes.
This raw zucchini crudo pays homage to those refreshing bites of summertime relief and has officially taken over the coveted title of Top Salad in our house. Some nights, my bones are laaaa-zzzy and the thought of washing and spinning greens, in addition to whipping up yet another vinaigrette of some sort, quickly turns daunting. And, to be honest, I get bored with the look-n-feel of your typical salad architecture and construction. Zucchini crudo has a refreshingly new, updated floor plan, great curb appeal and is a cinch to build. We moved in straight away and have been living deliciously since. Like ceviche, the uber-simple citrus marinade does all the heavy lifting for you while it rests happily in the fridge. It cures the zucchini and leaves behind a lovely chorus of infused sunny flavors and a toothsome crunch. Zucchini season is here and my favorite way to enjoy them is RAW, RAW, RAW. Why muck up something Mother Nature has prepared so perfectly?
Go out and eat too many. Savor each bite. Work on your tan (or your freckles). I plan to do so for as long as Summer lets me.
RAW ZUCCHINI CRUDO
Inspired by Tyler Florence
Feel free to change up and play around with your choice of cheese and herbs. Dollops of fresh ricotta with chervil and dill would be brilliant together. I picked the herbs below since they’re growing like mad in our garden right now. Plus, when fresh feta comes knocking at our door, mint is never too far behind. Oh, and speaking of fresh feta: French sheep’s milk feta is the way to go. It’s so much creamier and a bit more mild than Greek or goat’s milk feta.
Music Pairing: Beach Boys, All Summer Long
Ingredients
- 1 medium farm stand zucchini
- 1-2 tsp good extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 small lemon, juiced
- freshly ground black pepper
- kosher salt
- 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
- fresh feta cheese, crumbled
- handful of fresh mint, parsley and chives, finely minced
Method
Slice zucchini into rounds as thin as you can get them with a mandolin, or slowly and carefully with a sharp knife. Arrange on a large plate in shingle formation, overlapping zucchini rounds in one layer. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Drizzle with good olive oil and lemon juice. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow flavors to develop.
A few minutes before removing zucchini crudo from refrigerator, soak red onion slices in remaining lemon juice. Remove chilled zucchini crudo and top with red onions, crumbled feta and herbs. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately.
What a perfect “taste-explosion”. I absolutely love your combination of ingredients and unique way of using zucchini’s. YUMMY! There is nothing more rewarding than having your own herb garden!
:-) Mandy
Such a simple recipe really honors the produce: bravo! I completely agree about the sheep’s milk feta. Those French really know their fromage. Thanks for sharing!
That’s cute – he must have been really courting you to boil like a lobster! Great dish!
I’m still working on the joys of beach holidays myself, I just feel confined and wondering if I am missing something big being stranded on the beach. I know I just need to relax and take it in, but its never been for me.
That being said, I’ll be on a family beach holiday in Mexico for Christmas and will be on the lookout for cerviche – of which this zucchini version looks amazing. I love the feta, lemon, olive oil – these are the flavors of summer that just shout out to me. I’m breaking out that Grease soundtrack now!
Simple meals like this are just perfect for summer! I look forward to trying this. Thanks!
I haven’t been so excited about a zucchini recipe in a long time! This sounds amazing; your photos are gorgeous! I totally agree about the French sheep’s milk feta. Love it!
Gosh that looks delicious. I, like everyone else I know, seems to have a massive surplus of zucchini this time of year…
And I’d eat ceviche for every meal too, if I were in Mexico.
Simple and fantastic! I have all of these ingredients right now. Love this! Thanks!
This looks like lunch. Thanks.
I love zucchini! Sadly, I am the only one in this family of four adults. I love the idea of this recipe-I never would have thought of the mint- I’d love to try it.
Wow, that looks beautiful. I’ll have to make this next weekend, when we get more cucumbers from the CSA.
O, your crudo looks delicious…your photography is delicious. And feta and zucchini sounds heavenly.
This looks amazing – perfect for a hot summer day!
:)
Anything with feta is to die for…especially goat’s feta. This looks so simple and divine yet utterly tasty! Wonderful!
I’m sure that tastes as good as it looks.
Mimi
Simple and tasty… exactly what I was looking for! Thanks!
MMMM! Flavorful and refreshing, and a great way to use up herbs from the garden. I will be making this again soon. Thank you for the recipe.
As always, a beautiful post. Zucchini as the main ingredient? Love it. Especially since “’tis the season”!
This is one of my favorite ways of eating courgettes as well. Ideal on summer days – but not only. Love the mint and the feta crumbled on top of it. I have to admit being fascinated by the way you arranged a lll those slices – so neat.
I cannot wait to try this! I’m so glad I have a farmers market tonight because I know what’s coming home with me!
blimey, that’s good. I had to use white onions and boring old grated cheddar, but still, this is fantastic! I would never have thought to eat courgettes raw, I have several courgette plants in my garden and therefore an enormous glut of courgettes, so this is an amazing way to use them up! :D
Hi all! Hope your week is going well!
Kath – I felt the same way when I first made this and the excitement continues!
Jennifer – Give this a try and you may have 3 converted family members on your hand.
Kristen – Our farmer’s market was overflowing with these babies as well. Let me know how it turns out for you!
Olivia – So happy you enjoyed it! Aren’t they so amazing raw? It seems almost shameful to ever cook them again!
Fantastic. This is easily my favorite way to eat zuchinni – sliced thin, and raw. Lovely photography – love the grading work done. This is really what summer food is about to me, simple clean flavors, based on high quality ingredients.
I’ve made a similar salad but can promise you it did not look nearly that beautiful. I agree that raw is the way to go with zucchini – either that or grilled. I love those little perfect bites. Lovely job!
I have to try this! FYI, Greek feta is traditionally made from sheep’s milk. American companies tend to use cow’s milk, but the imported stuff is almost always sheep. (I learned this from living in a Greek neighborhood) :)
Gorgeous! I love recipes that only require a few simple ingredients. And no oven required? You’re speaking my language during this heat wave.
Beautiful, simple and enticing! I’m looking forward to trying it out- I need to detox after a food fueled month…
Oh how I love a raw zucchini salad. I started making this about 3 years ago and loved it so much I think I over did it and got a bit sick of it. Which his such a shame since I think its a revelation of a salad. Your looks so crisp and fresh and bright that I think I might be able to get back to it. Thanks!
This is simply perfect for summer. Our zucchini has ended in the garden, but I can still get it at the Farmer’s Market and I just might so I can try this. I enjoyed your story about Mexico. I could survive on ceviche for a while. My husband had a hard time adjusting to my sit-on-your-bum-in-the-sun vacations too. He enjoys them as much as I do now, though, with the proper amount of sunscreen. :)
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Wonderful summer food! Looks very yum! How do you slice your zucchini so thin? Amazing!
Love this! I might try it with goat cheese instead. Perfect for a summer meal!
i’ve been on a hardcore feta kick this summer so i will for sure try this soon. beautiful photos as per usual!
Mmmm, I’ve never quite fallen for raw zucchini, but the crudo title and French feta are sorely tempting. Hmmm….
It looks so good, so simple and so beautiful. What a fresh take an inspiring summer salad. Love that you topped it with mint too.
I love the perfection in the zucchini rounds and it does spell freshness, simplicity and deliciousness….in one go.
Stunning photos!
This looks fantastic. Perfect food for hot hot hot days. I am quite like your husband – to tanning for me! So I tend to stay in the shade and munch on yummy fresh snacks like this!
It’s like somehow you knew I had multiple GIANT zucchini in my garden just waiting for me to find a creative way to use them!! I’m definitely trying this. Glad I found your blog!
One of my favorite ways to prepare summer squash! Yum.
The perfect refreshing summer salad, I look forward to trying this one out once the warmer weather arrives here!
just got some japanese zucchini from a friends garden..will definitely have to try this!
This is something I have never seen nor heard of and now I can’t wait to try it myself. G., you’re such a teaser! :)
Looks delicious and so fresh!
Your photos are amazing, and everything looks so wonderful and fresh. Yum.
We had this tonight. I made a small side salad of quinoa, cooked with vege broth, to make it a bit more substantial now that the weather has cooled. It was delicious. I even made some mint tea out of the mint stalks. I have 3 more zucchinis and I’m excited about the possibilities. Thanks!
Such a simple idea and such beautiful construction! I love the fact that the integrity of each ingredient is preserved and that an oft overlooked vegetable is given centre stage.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
H :)
I made this last night and it was so delicious! I didn’t have feta so I used some shaved parma and it was excellent! Thank you for a lovely recipe!
I got rave reviews on this recipe – even using a very large (and somewhat seedy) zucchini. Thank you!
Love this zucchini recipe! I will absolutely put it to good use! Thank you for a great post!!!
Made this on a walm, balmy evening and went down an absolute delight. So simple, so tasty, and had all my housemates wondering what the ‘secret’ ingredient was – they couldn’t believe it was all raw and natural. The combination works perfectly.
Will be making this again for Christmas (in Australia = very hot) as a starter.
Thank you!
Hi Bonnie — So happy you enjoyed it! Merry Christmas to you and your family down under!! xo.
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