Grilled Zucchini with Garlic and Dill

Zucchini can be tough to love. It’s full of water, turns mushy quickly, and again, is just simply full of water. What’s it taste like? Green? I don’t know. But I do know that when grilled hot and fast, maintaining it’s al dente snappy texture while taming the raw vegetal flavor that is “zucchini,” then doused in an acidic, garlicky dressing that’s full of dill, then you’ve got a grilled vegetable that’s easy to love. Effectively dill pickle-flavored zucchini, this dressing is pretty phenomenal on any grilled vegetable, especially cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower. 

YIELD — 4–6 servings

Ingredients

6 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for serving

½ cup dill, coarsely chopped, plus more for serving

2 garlic cloves, finely grated or chopped

3 tablespoons white wine or white distilled vinegar, plus more

Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper

1 ½ to 2 pounds zucchini*, quartered lengthwise

Olive oil, for drizzling

*Cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage are all great here as well. Slice cauliflower and broccoli into thick steaks, attempting to keep the florets intact to grill. Cut the cabbage into 1” wedges.

Directions

1. Combine six sliced scallions, ½ cup dill, 3 tablespoons vinegar and all the grated garlic in a medium bowl. Season with salt, pepper and more vinegar as needed to create something spoonable and saucy; set aside.

2. Heat your grill to medium high (gas, charcoal, etc.)**. Drizzle zucchini with a good amount of olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Grill the zucchini, cut-side down, until nicely browned and charred in spots, 6–8 minutes. Using tongs, flip and rotate to grill/char on the remaining sides, another 10–15 minutes, depending on how hot your grill is (the hotter the better, in my opinion).

3. Once nicely charred and browned and therefore cooked through (without being limp and soggy), transfer zucchini to a large plate or serving platter. Chop it up if you’re more into the salad style— I prefer it “side style” with large hunks of it. Regardless, spoon scallion mixture over the zucchini, followed by a good drizzle of olive oil. Top with more sliced scallion and fluffy dill, if you like.

**If you’re not grilling, you can roast the vegetables at 500° on a sheet pan. They will likely take longer and the zucchini may get a little softer, but the flavors will be there. You can *also* sear the vegetables in a large skillet over medium–high heat on one side until impossibly brown (6–8 minutes), flip to finish cooking another 4–6 minutes. Regardless of how you do it, the idea is you want to cook the vegetables hot and fast to avoid them becoming mushy and soft.

DO AHEAD: This dish is actually best eaten right after it’s made. The longer it sits, the more you risk soggy zucchini (and it starts to turn a less-beautiful army green because of the vinegar). The scallion-dill topping can be made a few hours ahead, spooned over the zucchini when you’re ready to eat.