This Chinese-style Zucchini Salad is a no-cook recipe and great way to enjoy summer zucchini! If you’re tired of the same old zucchini bread, zoodles, and grilled zucchini, try this recipe for something different—and tasty!
Enjoying Zucchini Raw
Zucchini is one of the most popular home-grown vegetables, and yet, most people feel short of recipes for the abundance of zucchini during the summer season. Not to mention recipes that do not require cooking in the scorching weather.
Many people aren’t used to enjoying zucchini raw, just like cucumbers, carrots, or cabbage, but it’s a great way to use it. The key is salting the zucchini first, to remove some of the water inside. This keeps the zucchini from wilting after you dress it, maintaining a crunchier texture.
Sarah used this technique in her Zucchini Stir-fry with Chicken, to great effect. If you skipped this step, the zucchini would end up a bit mushy in the final dish.
The Dressing
We use a lot of our go-to dressing ingredients in some of our other Chinese cold salads: chili oil, light soy sauce, raw garlic, sesame oil, and sugar. One different unique ingredient we’re using in this particular recipe, however, is lemon juice!
While you don’t see it as often in Chinese cuisine (with the exception perhaps of Yunnan cuisine), it really brightens up this salad and gives it a refreshing, unique flavor!
Zucchini Salad Recipe Instructions
Wash the zucchini and pat dry with a clean towel. Trim off the ends, and cut each zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out any large seeds from the middle. Then use a julienne peeler, spiralizer, or just a knife to cut the zucchini into long thin strands or julienne it. There is no right or wrong way to treat the zucchini, as long as they are in thin pieces.
In a bowl, sprinkle the salt over the zucchini, and toss it well. Let it stand for 20 minutes on the counter.
Make the dressing by combining the sugar, Sichuan peppercorn powder, sesame oil, light soy sauce, lemon juice and rice vinegar. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
After 20 minutes, discard the liquid at the bottom of the bowl of zucchini, and gently squeeze out some of the liquid from the zucchini.
Right before serving, mix the zucchini with the prepared dressing, garlic and chili oil if using. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve immediately.
More Zucchini Recipes!
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Recipe
Chinese-Style Zucchini Salad
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds zucchini (about 3 medium)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn powder (or white peppercorn powder)
- 1½ teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon chili oil (optional)
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Wash the zucchini and pat dry with a clean towel. Trim off the ends, and cut each zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out any large seeds from the middle. Then use a julienne peeler, spiralizer, or just a knife to cut the zucchini into long thin strands or julienne it.
- In a bowl, sprinkle the salt over the zucchini, and toss it well. Let it stand for 20 minutes on the counter.
- Make the dressing by combining the sugar, Sichuan peppercorn powder, sesame oil, light soy sauce, lemon juice and rice vinegar. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- After 20 minutes, discard the liquid at the bottom of the bowl of zucchini, and gently squeeze out some of the liquid from the zucchini.
- Right before serving, mix the zucchini with the prepared dressing, garlic and chili oil if using. Garnish with sesame seeds, and serve immediately.
