Thomas Keller Zucchini
Yield: 4
Thomas Keller Zucchini features gorgeous cross-hatched zucchini that is quickly pan-seared over high heat, then oven-roasted. Finished with a simple tomato sauce that's fresh and bright, this easy zucchini recipe is a stunning dish alongside roasted or grilled meat or fish.
Ingredients
Zucchini
- 2 medium zucchini, untrimmed (ideally about 8" long and 8-10 ounces each)
- avocado oil to coat the bottom of the skillet (or another neutral oil with a high smoke point, such as canola oil)
- kosher salt, enough to fairly liberally salt the cut sides of the zucchini
Fresh Tomato Sauce
- 1 cup diced Roma or cherry tomatoes, with juicy insides removed
- 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- ½ tablespoon minced shallot
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt, to taste
- ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, stripped from the stem
- fresh basil leaves, optional garnish
Instructions
- Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise, then score the flesh side in a cross-hatch pattern, ⅛" to ¼" deep. Sprinkle the cross-hatched flesh fairly liberally with salt, and let zucchini rest for 10-15 minutes to draw out moisture.
- While zucchini is resting, combine all of the fresh tomato sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Fold every few minutes, to distribute the flavors.
- Once the zucchini halves have finished resting, pat them dry with a paper towel. Then preheat oven to 450°F.
- Heat a large oven-safe skillet (I use a 12" cast-iron skillet) over medium-high heat, then add enough oil to just coat the bottom of the skillet (I use about 1 tablespoon oil). Once the oil is shimmering, place zucchini halves cut-side down in the skillet and sear until golden brown and beautifully caramelized, 4-5 minutes total. Adjust the heat if they are browning too fast.
- Flip the zucchini halves over and transfer the skillet to 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.
- Arrange zucchini halves on a serving platter and top with the fresh tomato sauce.
Notes
Adapted from Thomas Keller's zucchini recipe on MasterClass.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1 Calories: 57kcal Carbohydrates: 5g Protein: 2g Fat: 4g Saturated Fat: 1g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g Monounsaturated Fat: 3g Sodium: 11mg Potassium: 353mg Fiber: 2g Sugar: 4g Vitamin A: 518IU Vitamin C: 23mg Calcium: 21mg Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.