Nothing reminds me more of summer than freshly picked courgettes. Each year my dad tends so lovingly to his vegetable crops that through July and August we’re blessed with the greatest abundance of zucchinis. There came a few summers when I was young when the daily harvest of courgettes was so large that we eventually ran out of ideas of what to do with them. We baked them, fried them, stuffed them, pureed them, steamed them…the list goes on. You name it, we did it!

This is one of my new favourite ways to eat courgettes, straight off the grill or as chilled leftovers the next day, they make the perfect side on warm summer days. Not only is this so easy to prepare, but it combines the most fresh and mellow tone of the courgettes with the tart punch of the quick pickled red onions. Definitely a crowd pleaser!

Ingredients

1 Red Onion
1 Lemon
4 Medium Courgettes
2 Cloves Garlic (finely chopped)
1 Red Chilli (finely chopped)
4 Tbsp Olive oil
3 Tbsp Soy Sauce/Tamari/ Liquid Aminos
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/4 Cup Slices Almonds

Method

Slice the onion in half, then into ribbons by slicing in one direction from one end
In a bowl, squeeze the lemon over the onion ribbons and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp of salt, then massage them and leave to one side
Slice the courgettes into slices, length ways, about 0.5cm thick, then marinate with the olive oil, soy sauce, garlic, chilli and a sprinkle of salt and pepper
In a (very) hot grill pan or skillet, place the courgettes and cook until they soften and brown a little
Flip to do the same on the other side, this takes about 2-3 minutes per side *
Do this a few times until all the courgette slices are cooked, leave them to cool in a baking dish, and sprinkle with a little salt when done cooking
Toast the almonds in a dry pan until golden brown
To assemble the salad, layer the courgettes with the onions (without their juice), then top with the toasted almonds
Drizzle with extra olive oil, a little salt and pepper, and and optional sprinkle of parsley
Enjoy!

*If you're using a grill pan, the grill marks will let you know when they're done