Grilled Courgettes In Oil (Zucchini in oil)

Courgettes/zucchini are one of those veggies that can suddenly take over the garden. You want to save them for later. These grilled courgettes in oil in a great way of preserving your harvest.

I love courgettes (or zucchini) and use them a lot. From spiralized noodles to grilling, serving in salads and preserving them. These grilled courgettes in oil are just another way of making the most of this gorgeous veggie.

My veggie patch was over run with courgettes this summer. I thought back on all this and decided to preserve some of them in oil. A bit of kitchen crafting with this gorgeous green bounty.

Courgettes/zucchini are such a versatile veggie and have a sweetness and butteriness all their own. I love them served Greek style cooked gently in olive oil with lots of garlic, thyme and lemon juice.

I decided this was the way I’d go but rather than just cook them and serve them up right away, I’d keep this tasty goodness for later by creating my Grilled Courgettes In Oil and storing them in a jar.

Preserving in oil

Preserving food in oil is an age old tradition and incredibly easy to do, all manner of things can be stored this way from tomatoes to lemons, peppers to onions. Not only does the oil keep the food fresh it also takes on the flavours of the food itself and any herbs and spices you have added, so you end up with a double bonanza of preserved food and a super tasty oil that can be used on salads or to cook with.

Ingredients for these courgettes in oil

There aren’t a lot of ingredients for these preserved zucchini/courgettes. Of course the main ingredient is the courgettes (zucchini) themselves. Make sure they are firm and fresh, not old with damaged flesh.

Olive oil plus the juice of two lemons, garlic and some seasoning in the form of fresh thyme leaves and salt and pepper.

Method

• Use a mandolin to finely slice the courgettes length ways into long ribbons and place them in a bowl with the 3 tbsp of olive oil.
• Swish them around in the oil to coat them and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat a griddle pan and toast the courgette ribbons for approximately 2 minutes each side.
• Have the lemon juice ready in a bowl and toss the cooked courgette ribbons in the juice.
• Set them aside to cool.
• Finely slice the garlic and layer this in a sterilised jar along with the courgettes ribbons and the thyme leaves.
• Top up the jar with olive oil.
• Using a skewer prod around the jar to release any air bubbles and tap it on the table top too.
• Make sure the courgettes are completely covered in the oil and pop on a lid.
• Use within one month and store in the fridge.

How to serve courgettes preserved in oil

These grilled courgette ribbons are wonderful served on toasted bread with thick slices of tomato and some good cheese, or stirred into some plain pasta for a super quick and tasty supper dish.

This tastes good enough to make me want to grow even more courgettes this year, hmmmmmmm maybe….

How long will these courgettes keep?

Use within a month and keep them stored in the fridge. As with all things preserved in oil, top up with a bit more oil if the courgettes are popping up above oil level. Remember it is the oil that is keeping them fresh.

Notes;

When you take them out of the fridge the oil may well have solidified and things look cloudy. Don’t panic. This is simply that olive oil hardens up in the cold. Soon as it comes up to room temperature it liquefies and goes beautifully clear again.

Remember you can use the flavoured oil as a salad dressing and for roasting veggies too.

Here are some other great goodies preserved in oil;

Peppers in oil

Garlic mushrooms in oil

Oven dried tomatoes in oil

Garlic preserved in oil

Pickled asparagus in oil

Lemons in oil

Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest and sign up for my newsletter too of course.