Zucchini Salad With Bread Crumbs

Name: Zucchini Salad With Bread Crumbs
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 large lemon); 2 oil-packed anchovies, chopped; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 2 zucchini or summer squash, diced into 1/2-inch pieces; Salt and black pepper; 2 tablespoons capers, patted dry; 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs; 1 large garlic clove, grated or minced; 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

By Yasmin Fahr

Published May 14, 2024

Zucchini Salad With Bread Crumbs — Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui.

Total Time: 20 minutes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Rating: 5(242)
Comments: Read comments

A study in contrasts, this textured salad tops mild, gentle zucchini with a bold, invigorating mix of fried capers and toasted bread crumbs. First, you’ll soak diced zucchini in a tangy lemon-mustard dressing. While the zucchini soaks up flavor, you prepare the toppings, sautéeing capers, garlic and bread crumbs until crispy and crunchy. A dusting of Parmesan completes the dish. Serve this zucchini salad one of two ways: You can mix it all together after layering, so that the bread crumbs soak up the dressing, or divide among plates, drizzling any remaining dressing in the bottom of the bowl over everything.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

3tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
2oil-packed anchovies, chopped
1tablespoon Dijon mustard
3tablespoons olive oil
2zucchini or summer squash, diced into ½-inch pieces
Salt and black pepper
2tablespoons capers, patted dry
½cup panko bread crumbs
1large garlic clove, grated or minced
½cup grated Parmesan

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
In a medium serving bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, anchovies, mustard and 2 tablespoons oil. Add the zucchini, season lightly with salt and pepper, then toss to coat with the dressing. (It will appear quite wet, and that’s OK!) Set aside to marinate; stir occasionally.
Step 2
In a medium skillet over medium-high, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil until shimmering. Add the capers and cook until they start to crisp and brown, 2 to 3 minutes, stirring halfway through and lowering the heat to avoid scorching if necessary. Reduce the heat to medium, add the bread crumbs, season lightly with salt and stir often, until the crumbs start to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the garlic and stir continuously, incorporating the garlic into the bread crumbs until they are a deep golden brown, about 1 minute; set aside.
Step 3
Shower the marinated zucchini with the Parmesan, season with a few grinds of pepper and top with the bread crumbs mixture. Serve immediately.

Ratings

5 out of 5

242 user ratings

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Comments

Joanna1 year ago

Zucchinis vary so much in size, a weight or cut quantity would be greatly appreciated!

Whitney1 year ago

Resounding second for this suggestion. I know it's a salad and you can vary the amounts, but it would help to have weights to at least know the original. NYT, please make this shift in all of your recipes.

johanna1 year ago

This was a delicious, easy, quick salad perfect for summer squash season. I followed recipe but didn’t have anchovies so used the note on some white miso and caper juice to sub. We were pairing this for dinner with a veggie focaccia so instead of breadcrumbs I subbed in some chopped nuts (mix of almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, cashews) and this was so good! The nice bonus with the nuts is that I didn’t have to worry about the soggy breadcrumbs.

maz8 months ago

I added micro arugula greens with added a nice peppery accent

jolee9 months ago

Garden fresh zucchini work great. Store bought roast. Sauté 2 tbsp oil and add chopped walnuts to topping. So good

Allison9 months ago

I lightly roasted the zucchini first and felt really happy with the results. I will say, however, that adds a good bit of time to the prep.

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