In Season

Zucchini

By Robin Raisfeld & Rob Patronite
Published Jul 15, 2007

(Photo: Kang Kim for New York Magazine. Illustrations by John Burgoyne.)

In its endlessly prolific bounty, zucchini can often seem more like a curse than a blessing. But all you need is one great recipe, like this one from Franny’s, to feel entirely different about the thin-skinned summer squash. That, and a good local source, like Greenmarket’s Yuno’s Farm. “She’s got the best,” says Franny’s chef de cuisine, Joshua McFadden, who collaborated on the recipe with chef-owner Andrew Feinberg. “It’s so obvious she loves her vegetables.”

Franny’s Marinated Zucchini with Mint and Scallions
Kosher salt
2 pounds local zucchini (about 4 green and 4 yellow), trimmed
2 cups scallions, roots and tops trimmed, thinly sliced
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup red-wine vinegar
¼ cup garlic, sliced
Red-pepper flakes, to taste
Freshly ground pepper
1 bunch mint, stemmed and washed
1 bunch basil, stemmed and washed

(1) Slice zucchini into half-inch-thick rounds. (2) Salt generously and put in a colander over a bowl. Place the sliced scallions in cold water. Refrigerate both for 1 hour. Remove zucchini and dry thoroughly. Put oil in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium-high heat. (3) Fry zucchini in small batches until golden brown, roughly 3 to 4 minutes per side. Place browned slices on a large serving platter; when all the zucchini has been cooked, sprinkle slices with red-wine vinegar. Lower the heat and add the garlic to the remaining oil, stirring and turning frequently enough to infuse the oil but not brown the garlic (this should be quick). Remove pan from heat, and add the red-pepper flakes and a few grinds of pepper. Pour the oil over the fried zucchini and let it sit at least 30 minutes. Rinse and spin-dry the scallions. Combine them in a bowl with the mint and basil, season with salt and pepper, and add a few spoonfuls of the zucchini marinade. Top the zucchini with the herbs and serve.