This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Do you know what special event we are celebrating today? I bet you don’t…
It is “Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Night”. Woohoo!
This is an actual thing, people. A gentleman in Pennsylvania, by the name of Tom Roy, came up with the idea – there is even a Facebook Page for it!
As any gardener can tell you, this is an easy-to-celebrate day because in August we are losing the battle with the zukes. Despite our best efforts to pick them small, there are always a few that get away from us by hiding under a leaf – they turn into canoe hulls under there and lay in wait for you to look at just the right angle to spot them. You can almost hear them laughing, as you lean over to wrestle a rotund specimen away from the plant!
But, we LOVE zucchini
In any case, we happen to be rather fond of zucchini, so we don’t mind eating nice, manageably-sized little ones every night for dinner – so long as we have plenty of different recipes. You might enjoy Crispy Zucchini Fritters, or Zucchini and Black Bean Quesadillas. However, this fast and simple dish is one of our favorites.
It might sound like the slices will be too thick, but trust me – to get some really tasty color on there, you need them thick, or the squash will end up overcooked and mushy like your grandma used to make it. No one wants that. And you definitely want a nice wide saute pan, so there is plenty of room. If you are serving more than 3 people, you might have to do it in two batches, depending on how hungry they are, but this is done in ten minutes or so – you won’t mind.
Check out the caramelization on the slice in the last shot – that is just what you want because that is SO tasty. 
These are my favorite tongs to use in a non-stick pan: OXO Good Grips Tongs and this is my favorite non-stick saute pan: Calphalon Hard Anodized Saute Pans. I use stainless steel most of the time, but this recipe does better in non-stick.
Lemon Garlic Zucchini
Ingredients
- 3 or 4 small zucchinis - 6 or 7 inches long and no more than 1&1/2 or 2 inches in diameter.
- Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic - about 1 good-sized clove
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice - about 1/2 a lemon's worth.
Instructions
- Wash and dry the zucchini and slice it very thickly - about 1 & 1/3 inches thick or so.
- Lay the slices on a flat surface in a single layer, and salt and pepper the top side.
- Over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan until it begins to shimmer.
- Add the butter and swirl it in the pan to combine with the oil.
- Using a pair of tongs, lay each zucchini slice, salted side down in the pan in a single layer. Don't pile them up at all, or they won't get the color you want.
- Cook the first side until you can see that they are nicely browned.
- Carefully turn over each slice - holding a butter knife in your other hand to help stabilize the slices in the tongs is a good idea.
- Cook the second side until they are all nicely colored as well - the squash will be tender-crisp still, Remove the squash to a serving bowl, but leave the oil and butter in the pan.
- Lower the heat a bit, and saute the minced garlic for a minute or so, then add the lemon juice, stirring into the remaining oil in the pan to create a little bit of sauce.
- Immediately scrape the sauce out of the pan, onto the squash.
- Serve hot - refrigerate leftovers.
So yummy!
Orzo Stuffed Zucchini
Crispy Zucchini Fritters
Creamy Tomato Bacon Soup
Garlic Scape Chimichurri Sauce
Brussels Sprouts with Shallots and Brown Butter
Southwest Cornbread Dressing
Blueberry Margarita
Warm Quinoa and Roasted Vegetable Salad
3 Light Summer Salads
Smoky Turkey Chili
This is my favorite kind of thing! I love veggies that are prepared simply and quickly. Dee-lish!
Thanks, Bonnie – I am with you on that!
This recipe looks incredible yummy. What a great idea and I will post your recipe on Facebook.I don’t have a garden this year but I will buy some tomorrow at the Farmer’s market or ask my friend Robert if he has some to share.
Friends are a great source for lots of zucchini Gerlinde – hope Robert has some for you!
It is amazing how quickly those darned things can grow, isn’t it? I also try to get them when they are very small, but everytime it seems like a couple of them turn out to be gigantic!! This is the perfect way to enjoy them too, with those bright flavors!
Thanks Sallie – hope that you give it a try!
Well, luck you with an abundance of zucchini, I just bought a few kilos of them and plan to make salads for the lunch… These zucchini bites look so darn good!
Hi Angie – it is a blessing, to be sure.
I don’t have a garden so I don’t tend to have an abundance of anything but I have friends that are overrun with them at certain times of the year! What a delicious and simple recipe 😀
Thanks Lorraine – always great to have friends with a garden if you can’t yourself 🙂
wow – I thought you were making a joke about the day, but I looked it up and it IS a real day! crazy! I wish someone would leave a few on my porch, but instead I will hit the farmer’s market on the way home tonight. thanks, Donalyn 😀
I’m glad you looked it up Andrea – it is a bit nutty, but the Farmer’s Market works too!
What a funny event! It reminds me of all the huge zucchini specimens that my mum used to get every year from friends or family who had gardens… Your dish is certainly an excellent and original idea to tackle the big zucchini problem. I wish someone left one for me in front of my door too 😉
If you lived near me Sissi, I surely would!
Shouldn’t all of your recipes be zucchini right now?
You come on up here, and I will make you a zucchini margarita!
Damn delicious charred and caramelized zucchini, finger licking good!
Those canoe hull ones? We split them lengthwise and let the chickens have at ’em. But those huge monster ones are what most people leave on our porch, so to speak. (Not that they need to, we have plenty of our own!) I can never figure out if they think bigger is better and they are doing us a favor, or if they just think with our large family we are short on food and will eat anything. I am glad you are pointing out that with any kind of summer squash, smaller is better.
I know, Kathy – doesn’t that drive you nuts? Same with cucumbers – people let them get huge and tough and seedy – blech!
Now that looks amazing. So simple but delicious. I’m keeping this recipe for my to-do list!
Aw, thanks, Bill – hope you enjoy it!