Vietnamese shaved zucchini salad with pickled red onion and toasted peanuts
Zucchini is a criminally underrated vegetable. It can cop a bad rap, like many vegetables - I think that’s because we’ve often eaten it over-cooked or poorly prepped.Sometimes, the more you cook a zucchini, the worse it gets. They get treated like an eggplant or firmer squash, get over done and don’t taste their best. Eating them al-dente or even raw is so fantastic.When cooking them, I like to cut them lengthways to get some good surface area, then quickly char them on a bbq or skillet – a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper – and it’s all you need. They are so perfect!Here, with the humble veggie peeler, we’re prepping them to eat raw in a kind of quick-pickle. Easily made ahead of time, it’s a really satisfying barbecue side, great on burgers or on a ploughman’s platter, on a bahn-mi or with some pulled pork. A lively addition to any summer spread!
lets get
cooking
- 3 medium sized zucchinis
- ¼ cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh sliced mint leaves
- ¼ cup roasted peanuts, crushed
- PICKLED RED ONION
- 1 red onion
- ½ cup or white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 6 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 bird's eye / Thai chilli, thinly sliced
- Thinly slice the red onion. Add vinegar, water and sugar to a small saucepan and simmer until the sugar is dissolved. Take off the heat, add the red onion slices and let them pickle while you prepare the salad.
- Wash the zucchini thoroughly and trim off the ends.
- Hold the zucchini firmly at one end, run the vegetable peeler along the length.
- Add the shaved slices to a salad bowl along with sliced mint leaves and crushed peanuts.
- In a separate little bowl, prepare the dressing. Whisk together fish sauce, fresh lime juice, water, sugar, minced garlic, and sliced red chilli.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and carefully toss to ensure the zucchini and other ingredients are entirely coated.
- Just before serving, garnish with more mint leaves and crushed peanuts.
