Kickstart Grilling Season: Elevate Your Barbecue with Perfect Grilled Zucchini

Memorial Day weekend is just around the corner, marking the official start of the grilling season. In just three weeks, our taste buds will be tantalised by grilled pork neck and sausage. But let's not sideline vegetables - grilled zucchini is our top pick.

Memorial Day is drawing near! Weather forecasts suggest a bit of a chill, but that won't deter our grilling plans. After all, Memorial Day signifies the beginning of the grilling season.

We will savour grilled sausage, pork neck, or skewers in mere days. And for vegetarians, there's a feast of grilled vegetables to look forward to. The best picks include onions, bell peppers, eggplants, and zucchini. Let's delve into zucchinis. How does one prepare a delicious grilled zucchini?

Zucchini, a member of the squash family, is delectably in season from August to late September, though available all year round. Remarkably low in calories, a 100g serving of zucchini boasts around 16 kcal. Hence, indulging in it is guilt-free.

Zucchini is versatile, enhancing dishes like risotto, cream soup, or lecho. However, aficionados agree that grilling highlights its flavour the most. Preparing grilled zucchini is straightforward: slice, drizzle with olive oil, and grill. Soon, it softens, adopting a delightful smoky taste.

Marinate the zucchini slices for a few hours before grilling for an extraordinary flavour. Zucchini soaks up marinade eagerly, transforming with a bit of soy sauce and smoked paprika into umami-rich slices that could rival the taste of juicy meat. Such zucchini could even convert ardent carnivores.

To make scrumptious grilled zucchini, adhere to some simple guidelines. Slice the zucchini into 1-1.5 cm thick pieces and lightly salt both sides. If using a marinade that contains oil, you can skip directly to grilling. Otherwise, lightly coat the slices with oil.

Grill the slices on the grate for no more than three minutes per side. Grilled zucchini makes for a delicious snack or can be elevated to create rolls. Spread a slice with cream cheese, add a slice of avocado, smoked fish, grilled chicken, or any filling you choose, and then roll it up. These rolls are perfect for parties or as a sophisticated appetiser.

Grilled zucchini can stand alone as a dish or brilliantly complement other dishes. Now, you're equipped to prepare the perfect grilled zucchini.