5 Ingredients or Fewer

Marinated Zucchini, Kalamata Olive, & Mozzarella Salad

Name: Marinated Zucchini, Kalamata Olive, &amp; Mozzarella Salad
Prep time: 40 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 medium yellow or green zucchini; 1 lemon, juiced; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper; 2 balls buffalo mozzarella; 16 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped; 1 handful fresh basil and oregano leaves (cilantro and mint work well, too), finely chopped

by: Food52

July 14, 2015

4.4

13 Ratings

Photo by Alpha Smoot

Prep time 40 minutes
Serves 4

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Author Notes

The perfect no-cook dish for last-minute summer dinners. —Food52

Test Kitchen Notes

Featured in: The Marinated Raw Zucchini Salad That Lit Up My Potluck.

This salad of raw, marinated zucchini caught our eye during our summer salad-themed #f52contest—and we crowned it the winner. Here, Instagrammer @thefoxandtheknife shares her recipe for it. —The Editors

Test Kitchen-Approved

Ingredients

4 medium yellow or green zucchini
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 balls buffalo mozzarella
16 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1 handful fresh basil and oregano leaves (cilantro and mint work well, too), finely chopped

Directions

Cut the zucchini into ribbons with a mandoline or a vegetable peeler. Put them in a bowl and add the lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Cut the mozzarella into small pieces and add them, the olives, and the chopped herbs to the chilled zucchini. Stir well and serve!

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4 Reviews

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Sherri S. June 29, 2024

This recipe caught my eye, so simple and interesting. I ran out of calamata and used a greek green olive, feta and cilantro - basically what I had on hand. And from reading the reviews, the little tweaks can change this salad up without messing with the fresh taste and cool summer appearance, and having a simple go to for the summer.

cmahoney10 April 30, 2024

Releases a lot of water however if you drain it after the 30 minutes and re-season its delicious! I added toasted pine nuts for some added flavor.

Salt T. July 13, 2017

A lovely, light salad on a day when I wanted something really simple, yet bold in flavor. I used fresh basil and parsely, but didn't have burrata and so substituted feta - which, in the end, was a wise choice, I think. I still want to try it with the burrata (because, hello, burrata is delicious) but the tangy feta was an excellent match with the lemon and olives. Also, with the colors of the zucchini and the basil, the salad just *looked* happy!

freshbread July 8, 2017

This made for a good summer dish easily assembled from farmers market finds. The crunch of the fresh, raw squash was welcome on a brutally hot day. But it risks being too subtle.

The herbs are key; while I used parsley, mint or cilantro (as recommended) would indeed be better choices. I used burrata instead of mozzarella, but the salty punch of feta would have made a stronger impression. I added halved cherry tomatoes and more olives. Both made for good tweaks.

With a change of the cheese and herbs, and perhaps a touch of dijon, honey, or another strong flavor in the vinaigrette, this would be excellent.