Grilled Summer Squash with Harissa-Walnut Dressing
How to cook the best grilled zucchini—plus, a bonus raw version of the salad.
It’s summer squash season, baby! Right now, all kinds of these warm weather darlings are starting to trickle into the farmer’s markets and pop up in home gardens, but in a few weeks, that trickle will increase to a flood of zucchini, crooknecks, zephyrs, pattypans, cousas, and many more. Come early fall, the amount of summer squash can feel like a downpour, but let’s start the season off with a recipe that’ll become a regular in your vegetable rotation.
While plain ol’ zucchini are stellar here, I love the subtle variety in flavor and textures a mix of summer squash offers. If you can, choose—or, harvest!—small-to-medium-sized squash. These have less moisture, which will prevent the dreaded water-logged, soggy factor. Another key is scoring and salting, which will also pull out some of the water in the vegetables—plus, the cross-hatch scoring makes it easier for moisture to escape from the interior during cooking, and it looks pretty damn gorgeous, too.
The grilled squash is perched atop cooling swooshes of lemony, salted yogurt and topped with a dressing of fried walnuts, harissa, extra virgin olive oil, preserved lemon, a splash of preserved lemon brine, lemon juice, garlic, smoked chili powder, and mint, and finished with lots of torn basil. Plus, it’s a tale of two summer squash salads—don’t miss a raw version of salad following the grilled recipe!
Grilled Summer Squash with Harissa-Walnut Dressing
As a city girly with no outdoor space, I do all my grilling on an indoor grill pan (if you have a gas stove, I highly recommend this cast iron one from Lodge). My secret to adding wood fired, flame-kissed flavor with a simple spoonful? Diaspora Co. Sirārakhong Hāthei chillies—which are slowly smoked over bamboo after harvesting—or Spanish smoked paprika. If you’re grilling on an outdoor charcoal or gas grill, you can omit this ingredient, but it does add an extra layer of sultry smokiness.
The yogurt base and harissa-walnut dressing are also great with a variety of other vegetables. Try grilled eggplant—go with petite varieties, like fairy tale or graffiti, or smaller Chinese or Japanese eggplants—split lengthwise and scored like the zucchini. Or, in the colder months, swap out the grilled veggies for hearty roasted ones, like carrots, Brussels sprouts, or caramelized wedges of winter squash, like delicata, kabocha, or honey nut.
Serves 4 to 6
INGREDIENTS
1¾ pounds mixed small-to medium summer squash
3¼ teaspoons Diamond Crystal or 2 teaspoons Morton’s kosher salt
2 lemons
1 cup plain, full-fat Greek yogurt
2 garlic cloves
⅓ cup, plus 3 tablespoons, extra virgin olive oil
½ cup raw, shelled walnuts, roughly chopped
1½ tablespoons harissa paste
½ teaspoon powdered Sirārakhong Hāthei chillies or smoked paprika (optional)
⅓ cup chopped mint leaves
2 tablespoons finely chopped preserved lemon, plus 2 tablespoons preserved lemon brine
1 teaspoon maple or date syrup
Handful of fresh basil leaves, for finishing
METHOD
Prepare 1¾ pounds mixed small-to medium summer squash by cutting them in half lengthwise. Using a paring knife, score the cut side of the squash diagonally about ¼-inch deep. Then, score diagonally in the opposite direction to create a cross-hatch pattern. Repeat with the remaining squash and transfer them to a baking sheet, cut side up.
Sprinkle the cut side of the squash with 1¼ teaspoons Diamond Crystal or ¾ teaspoons Morton’s kosher salt, and let sit for 30 minutes.
While the squash is salting, prepare the lemony yogurt and dressing. For the former, zest 2 lemons into a medium bowl. Add 1 cup plain, full-fat Greek yogurt and ¾ teaspoon Diamond Crystal or ½ teaspoon Morton’s kosher salt, and mix well. Juice the two lemons into another small bowl and reserve for later use.
To make the dressing, thinly slice 1 garlic clove and add it to a small sauce pan with ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil and ½ cup roughly chopped raw, shelled walnuts. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently until the garlic turns light golden and the walnuts turn a shade darker, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off the heat, and stir in 1½ tablespoons harissa paste and ½ teaspoon powdered Sirārakhong Hāthei chillies or smoked paprika, if using.
Transfer the oil-nut mixture to a mason jar and add ¼ cup of the reserved lemon juice, ⅓ cup chopped mint leaves, 2 tablespoons finely chopped preserved lemon, 2 tablespoons preserved lemon brine, 1 teaspoon maple or date syrup, 1 finely grated garlic clove, and ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal or ¼ teaspoon Morton’s kosher salt. Shake well to emulsify, taste, and adjust salt, if needed.(Preserved lemons can vary in salinity, so it’s a safe bet to start with a little bit of salt, and add more, as necessary.) Set aside.
If using an outdoor charcoal or gas grill, prepare the coals or preheat to medium-high heat. If using an indoor grill pan, heat to medium-high heat.
While the grill heats up, pat any moisture that’s accumulated on top of the squash dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel. Brush both sides with the remaining 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, and season the skin side of the squash with the remaining ¾ teaspoon Diamond Crystal or ½ teaspoon Morton’s kosher salt.
Place the squash on the grill, cut side-down, and cook until deeply caramelized, 4 to 6 minutes. Flip, and continue to cook until tender and easily pierced with a knife, 2 to 4 more minutes. Transfer back to the baking sheet.
To serve, swoosh the lemony yogurt on a serving platter and arrange the grilled squash on top. Give the dressing another shake to re-emulsify and spoon desired amount over the grilled squash (yes, you’ll have leftover dressing, see note below on other uses). Finish with a handful of torn basil leaves, and serve immediately.
Make-ahead: The dressing can be made up to 3 days ahead, but the squash is best grilled right before serving.
Vegan? No problem: Swap out the Greek yogurt for your favorite non-dairy yogurt.
Extra dressing, please: Like the majority of my salad recipes, this one makes extra dressing. Use it to make the raw version of this salad (instructions below), or it’s pretty good at zhuzhing up everything—from some of the grilled veggies listed above and odds ‘n’ ends of leftovers to dips like hummus, whipped ricotta, and baba ganoush.
And, I’ve got a bonus recipe for ya! This one features raw, shaved summer squash and the same harissa-walnut dressing, but nixes the lemony yogurt. Instead, the lemon zest gets mixed with the dressing and the salad gets an extra herby kick from more mint leaves and cilantro. Then, it’s all topped off with big crumbles of creamy, briny feta (or, you could also nestle in grilled slices of halloumi for a raw + cooked moment).
This crisper, fresher take makes a perfect partner for richer mains, such as grilled rib-eye or pork shoulder steaks, saucy ribs, cedar plank salmon, or barbecued chicken thighs.
Here’s how to tweak the original recipe:
Prepare 1 pound mixed small-to-medium summer squash by thinly slicing them lengthwise on a mandolin. Place the sliced squash in a large bowl, sprinkle with ¾ teaspoon Diamond Crystal or ½ teaspoon Morton’s kosher salt, and gently toss so the squash is evenly coated. Let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature. Place the salted squash on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels, leaving any liquid that’s accumulated in the bowl, and pat dry. Discard the excess liquid and wipe the bowl dry.
While the squash is salting, make the dressing. Zest 1 lemon before juicing it and then prepare the dressing as stated in the above recipe (Steps 4 & 5). Stir in the lemon zest, and you’ve got your updated dressing!
Return the dried, salted squash to the bowl, add ¼ cup dressing and gently toss to coat. Add ¼ cup torn mint leaves and ¼ cup torn cilantro leaves and tender stems, and gently toss again.
Transfer the dressed squash to a serving plate or shallow serving bowl. Break 4 ounces drained feta into big, chunky pieces, and nestle them among the dressed ribbons of squash. Spoon a few more generous spoonfuls of dressing (don’t worry, you’ll have extra dressing) and serve immediately.
Both versions look and sound fantastic. I’m glad you point out that there are differences in flavor/texture between young/mature zucchini and also between the various types.
Yum! 😋 I love zucchini and this is such a fun new way to make it!