Zucchini carpaccio with its thinly sliced fresh zucchini, goat cheese, olive oil, and vinegar is a delicious starter, appetizer, or side dish salad. Amazingly simple and tasty, this light zucchini salad recipe is always a huge hit when served.
A Must Make Fresh Zucchini Salad!
"This dish originated in Venice Italy at Harry's Bar in the '50s. My husband and I were lucky enough to actually eat at Harry's Bar once - Venice is extra special to us as we were married there!" 🙂 -Kori
- It's easy. There actually isn't too much prep here - just slice the zucchini thinly. I use a mandoline -it's much easier, and the slices are consistent! Crumble your goat cheese and the rest of the ingredients over the top.
- Uses fresh summer garden veg. This recipe was inspired by all of the thyme in my garden, and I had some goat cheese expiring soon - so I went with that combination! Summer time is the perfect excuse for making this - it can be prepped ahead, keeps in the fridge well, and it's cold and fresh on a hot day.
- Healthy. This zucchini recipe is light and fresh. It can be adapted in so many ways but it's gluten free, low carb, and keto.
Raw Zucchini Salad Ingredients
This zucchini carpaccio has so much flavor, yet it’s made with basic ingredients that are easy to find. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Thinly Sliced Fresh Zucchini
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil - So I used extra virgin olive oil but you could use toasted walnut oil and then add finely chopped toasted walnuts over the top - a great combination!
- Fruity Vinegar - You will want to balance the olive oil with acidity from vinegar. I would suggest a raspberry or pear vinegar (any fruit vinegar), balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar, or lemon juice.
- Goat Cheese - Feta or shaved parmesan can be used in place of goat cheese.
- Thyme - I love the combination of fresh thyme, but thinly sliced fresh basil would work well.
- Kosher Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
- Optional - Toasted nuts like pine nuts, sunflower seeds, pepitas, chopped walnuts could all be sprinkled on top.
How To Make Zucchini Carpaccio
Follow these simple steps to make this simple starter or side dish salad – no cooking required!
Printable recipe card below.
- On a plater, shingle the zucchini slices in a circular pattern or rows, making sure to slightly overlap but not crowd the zucchini slices too closely.
- Sprinkle the remaining ingredients over the top of the zucchini slices.
- Let sit at room temperature at least 15-20 minutes before serving to allow flavors to blend.
How To Serve It
Zucchini carpaccio pairs well with roasted, braised, grilled, or fried beef, lamb, chicken, pork, and fish. Here are some serving options:
- Starter - this makes a wonderful light refreshing starter.
- Side Dish Salad - a fresh cold side is perfect when paired with a rich protein hot off the grill or out of the oven!
- Meal idea! Serve with grilled chicken thighs, fruit salad, and grilled vegetables.
Kori's Tips
- It can be prepared up to a day ahead of time. If making ahead, it is best to use a lighter vinegar and not balsamic—it tends to be more potent and discolors the cheese and zucchini. It doesn't affect taste, but if using balsamic, you should serve right away.
- Use a mandoline slicer or food processer to evenly slice all the zucchini - it's quicker too!
FAQs
Store leftovers in an air tight container in the fridge for 1 to 2 days. Note that over time the fresh zucchini will break down and become soft. This
dish cannot be frozen.
Carpaccio is traditionally an Italian appetizer made with thinly sliced raw meat or fish such as beef, salmon, veal, tuna, and venison. Lemon juice and olive oil are typically drizzled over the meat, then capers, onions, and herbs are placed on top.
A recent trend using vegetables in place of meat, and a variety of kinds of vinegar, herbs, and cheeses used in the dish has become quite common. Even though the term Carpaccio still technically means a raw meat appetizer - most people use the term interchangeably even with vegetables. Like me - zucchini carpaccio.
Carpaccio is pronounced "car-PAH-chee-oh". The two cc's are pronounced "chee" like cheese.
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📖 The recipe.
Zucchini Carpaccio
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini or 3 small (thinly sliced)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 to 3 tablespoons raspberry vinegar (any fruit vinegar, balsamic, or white wine vinegar will work well)
- 3 to 4 ounces crumbled goat cheese (feta is also really good)
- 2 tablespoons of fresh thyme leaves (or 3 teaspoon dried thyme)
- kosher salt
- pepper
Instructions
- On a plater, lay out the zucchini slices in a circular pattern or rows, making sure to slightly overlap but not crowd the zucchini slices too closely.
- Crumble the goat cheese over the top, distributing over as many pieces as possible. Sprinkle with thyme. Drizzle olive oil and vinegar over the top. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Tip: the goal is to get tasty bites of olive oil, vinegar, cheese, and thyme in each bite.
- Let sit at room temperature at least 15-20 minutes before serving to allow flavors to blend.
Nutrition
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Zucchini carpaccio is the perfect easy side dish or appetizer! It's simple and quick to make and everyone gobbles it up. While delicious year-round, this is a great summer recipe that uses up all that young zucchini coming out of the garden! A healthy recipe that you won't know is healthy. Adapt this recipe with toasted nuts, different cheeses, kinds of vinegar, or herbs! This zucchini recipe is gluten free, low carb, and keto friendly.
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