Thomas Keller Zucchini

Why We ❤️ This Grilled Zucchini Recipe

We’ve always liked zucchini, especially in our favorite grilled vegetable salad or when I make a big jar of pickled squash. Then a few years ago, one of our daughter’s friends started sharing (lots of) zucchini from their garden with us…and I needed to find some variety in cooking it! Here’s why we love this recipe:

• Special. This is not your ordinary zucchini recipe. The beauty of the scoring & salting method is not just for looks; its first purpose is to draw out moisture to prevent it from becoming soggy-soft during cooking. This zucchini is beautifully fork-tender yet still holds its shape – and it’s SO PRETTY!
• Versatile. This easy cooked zucchini recipe complements a variety of protein mains. Steak, pork, chicken, turkey, fish, and seafood – grilled, sauteed, roasted, etc. – it’s ALL good!
• Simple ingredients. You only need zucchini, salt, and oil for the base of this recipe. If you want to include the fresh tomato sauce, you’ll need just a handful of simple ingredients.

Why is it Called Thomas Keller Zucchini?

Thomas Keller zucchini is named for chef Thomas Keller, famous for the highly-lauded Yountville, California, restaurant The French Laundry. Keller popularized this special way of cooking zucchini in a MasterClass.

This method of cooking zucchini starts out by first scoring the zucchini halves in a crosshatch pattern, then salting and draining them to get rid of excess liquid (excess water contributes to a mushy texture). The zucchini is seared in a hot skillet on the stovetop and then placed in a very hot oven until tender.

Ingredient Notes

Here’s a look at what you’ll need to make this easy zucchini recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredient amounts.

For the ZUCCHINI

• Zucchini – I recommend medium-sized zucchini that are about 8″ long and 8-10 ounces each, so they all fit into a large skillet at the same time.
• Avocado oil – This is used to coat the bottom of the skillet. You can use another neutral oil with a high smoke point, such as canola oil if needed.
• Salt – To draw out excess water in the zucchini and to give it flavor.

For the FRESH TOMATO SAUCE

• Tomatoes – I like to use cherry or Roma tomatoes, and remove the watery insides.
• Champagne vinegar – If you don’t have this kind of vinegar, a good substitute is white wine vinegar or rice vinegar.
• Shallot – This gives a nice onion-garlic flavor.
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Thyme – I like to use fresh thyme leaves. If using dried thyme leaves, use just half the amount.

How to Make Thomas Keller Zucchini

I’ve outlined below the few simple steps for making this Thomas Keller zucchini recipe. Find the detailed instructions in the recipe card lower down.

• Prepare the zucchini. Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise. Then score the cut sides in a cross-hatch pattern, ⅛” to ¼” deep.
• Salt and rest. Sprinkle the cut sides of the zucchini fairly liberally with salt. Let rest for 10-15 minutes to draw out moisture, then pat dry with a paper towel.

• Make the fresh tomato sauce. Fold together all the tomato sauce ingredients.
• Sear the zucchini. Heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat, then add enough oil to just coat the bottom of the skillet. Place zucchini cut-side down in the skillet and sear until golden brown and beautifully caramelized, 4-5 minutes total.
• Roast. Flip the zucchini over and place skillet in the oven. Roast until zucchini is softened to your liking. I prefer it to have a small amount of toothsome bite to it, not completely softened, and this takes only about 5 minutes for this size zucchini.
• Top with tomato sauce. Arrange the zucchini cut-side up on a serving platter and spoon the fresh tomato sauce over the top.

Tips & Variation Ideas

Here are a few of my best tips for making this zucchini turn out perfectly every time, plus a few variation ideas:

• Salt the zucchini. Don’t skip salting and draining the zucchini. This essential step allows the salt to draw out excess moisture AND season the squash.
• Pat dry the zucchini. After you salt and drain the zucchini, pat it dry gently with paper towels or a clean dish cloth to remove excess water drawn out by the salt.
• Sear & roast with high heat. Zucchini contains about 95% water. So giving it a quick blast of high heat on the stovetop, before it starts to release water, helps to sear and caramelize it quickly and gives it a gorgeous golden color. Then roasting it in the oven at 450°F helps keep the zucchini from getting mushy.
• Test the texture of the zucchini. While I give guidelines for how long to roast the zucchini, you should also rely on your preference and test the zucchini after 5 minutes in the oven. I like my zucchini to still have a bit of a bite to it, so I never roast mine for a long time. But Chef Keller’s original recipe instructs you to roast the zucchini for 25-30 minutes, or until the zucchini are completely soft, with a creamy texture. So it’s up to you – cook for as long as you lik!
• Try other squash. You can use other squash varieties in place of the zucchini, such as yellow squash or other summer squash.
• Other toppings. I especially like to pair the fresh tomato sauce with this zucchini during the summer, when the tomatoes are super sweet. But if you want to keep it simple, leave it out. Try a squeeze of fresh lemon over the cooked zucchini. Add olive tapenade or pitted and chopped black olives for a different take. Spoon pesto sauce over the top. Or chili crisp, for some kicky heat!

Serving Suggestions

I’ve highlighted some of my favorite recipes to pair with Thomas Keller zucchini, here you go!

• Grilled mains. This zucchini goes with pretty much any grilled protein. A few of our favorites include sugar grilled steak, honey mustard beef kabobs, grilled shrimp, beer can chicken, and grilled pork tenderloin with peach glaze. See my whole grilling section for more options.
• Non-grilled proteins. Serve this gorgeous zucchini with garlic butter steak bites or steak Diane. Or pan-seared scallops!
• With burrata & pesto. Arrange the prepared zucchini on a platter, then add burrata, pesto, and fresh basil leaves.
• With feta & lemon. Add the zucchini to a pretty platter, then drizzle lemon vinaigrette over the top and sprinkle with crumbled feta and freshly ground black pepper.

How to Store & Reheat Extras

If you have any leftover zucchini, save it for another time. Enjoy it cold or warm it up before serving. Here’s how:

• Fridge – Place leftover cooled zucchini in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you have any leftover tomato sauce, store it in a separate airtight container for up to 3 days.
• To Reheat – Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the zucchini on a baking sheet and reheat it in the oven until warmed through.

More Zucchini Recipes

• Grilled Zucchini Salad
• Roasted Curry Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini
• Cheesy Zucchini Noodles Bake