This Grilled Zucchini, or as they call it in Italy zucchini gligliate, is a popular Italian dish that can be served as a side dish, or as an appetizer. At home I serve as a side dish, alongside my previous recipe, Chicken Escalope with Lemon Sauce. The first time I tried grilled zucchini made this way I was in Italy, and I thought to myself, how could something so healthy taste this good? The secret is in the dressing, which I will also share with you in this recipe. You can just grill the zucchini and serve that way, but in my opinion, the dressing really makes this dish. This grilled zucchini is also a great side dish to have with grilled steak or chicken or to add to a sandwich. If you are not into zucchini, you could substitute for eggplant, or grill both together. The technique is the same. When making this grilled zucchini, keep in mind that you must let the zucchini sit in salt for at list 30 minutes in order to extract the water.
Once the zucchini releases the water, wash them well, and pat dry with paper towels. Grill afterwords.
I hope you enjoy making this grilled zucchini dish as much as I do. I made a big batch last night and I had leftovers for my sandwich today. You can refrigerate the dressing, but make sure you bring to room temperature before serving again. Enjoy!
- 4 large zucchini
- 1 TBSP of salt
- 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 handfull of Italian parsley - flat leaved parsley roughly chopped
- 3 TBSP of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Italian peperoncino or ¼ TSP or less of red pepper flakes crushed
- a pinch of salt
- Slice the zucchini length ways into (1/4 inch) strips than cover them generously with salt for 30 min before rinsing and drying them. Grill the zucchini on a griddle pan in a single layer in pan, or under the grill. Grill for 4 minutes, turning after 2 minutes. For tender zucchini slices, grill for an extra 1 minute on each side.
- To make the dressing: On a cutting board, chop together the garlic, parsley and peperoncino. Transfer to a small bowl. Stir in the olive oil, and add a pinch of salt. Serve on top of the zucchini or on the side.
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