Easy Zucchini Ribbon Parmesan Summer Salad
My neighbor drops zucchini on my porch every July without warning, and this salad is how I stopped letting them pile up on the counter.
No heat, no waiting. Just a vegetable peeler, a bowl, and about 15 minutes of actual work.
Easy Zucchini Ribbon Parmesan Summer Salad
Thin raw zucchini ribbons tossed with lemon, olive oil, and shaved Parmesan for a salad that tastes like the best part of summer.
Ingredients
- 3 medium zucchini , about 1.5 lbs total, ends trimmed
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice , from about 1 large lemon
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp kosher salt , plus more to taste
- 0.5 tsp black pepper , freshly ground
- 0.25 tsp red pepper flakes , optional
- 2 oz Parmesan , shaved with a peeler, not grated
- 0.25 cup fresh basil leaves , torn by hand
- 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts , optional but worth it
Instructions
Tips & Notes
- Use a Y-peeler if you have one. It gives you more control than a straight peeler and makes the ribbons more even.
- Shave the Parmesan with the same vegetable peeler you used on the zucchini. Thin curls melt slightly into the dressing and taste completely different from grated.
- Do not skip the 5-minute salt rest in step 2. It takes the raw edge off the zucchini and keeps the dressing from going watery on the plate.
- This salad does not hold well. Dress it no more than 10 minutes before serving or the ribbons go limp and the Parmesan dissolves into the liquid.
Nutrition per serving · estimated
Why the Peeler Does the Real Work Here
A box grater or mandoline gives you shreds or slices. The vegetable peeler gives you something that actually behaves like a salad, with ribbons that catch the dressing and fold around the Parmesan the way a good pasta does.
The technique takes a little patience the first time, maybe 10 minutes to ribbon three zucchini. By the second time you make this, you will do it in 6.
What to Serve It With
This salad is rich enough from the olive oil and Parmesan to sit next to something simple, grilled chicken, a piece of salmon, or a bowl of cold pasta.
I have also served it as the main event at lunch with good bread and nothing else, and nobody complained.
