Beat the Heat with Summer Squash

It’s July and it's hot. Temperatures were over 90˚F today in New York City, but Culinary Arts Chef-Instructor Chayanin “Nin” Pornsriniyom kept it cool at the greenmarket when demonstrating her recipe for Summer Squash with Moroccan Chermoula.

Chef Nin used a variety of summer squash and zucchini as the base for the salad, peeling the vegetables into ribbons, like pasta. She chose to keep the squash raw to showcase its versatility.

"People tend to think of grilling or roasting when it comes to these vegetables," Chef Nin says. "But they're great raw."

That’s what makes this dish delightful when it’s too hot to cook — there’s no stove required.

Chef Nin decided to accompany the squash with chermoula, an herbaceous and spice-forward Moroccan sauce comprised of warming spices, parsley, cilantro and preserved lemon. Inspired by a similar chermoula she made while working at Dirt Candy, Chef Nin knew the mild flavor of summer squash would be a great canvas for the zesty sauce. 

As a final touch, Chef Nin topped the salad with a small dollop of labneh to round out the flavors with a little richness.

Summer squash's peak seasons are July and August, so make sure to get your squash soon if you want to make this recipe before summer ends. Here are Chef Nin’s tips:

• Toast and grind your spices: Chef Nin insists this yields a more robust flavor than dried cumin and coriander could provide.
• Don’t shave the squash to the core: Using a vegetable peeler, Chef Nin peeled the squash until she reached the seeds. She said the seeded part holds a lot of moisture and can make the salad soggy. But don’t discard the cores — shred them to include in zucchini bread or roast and snack on them.
• Don’t over-mix the squash: Adding a little salt and lightly mixing the shaved squash helps condense the structure into a noodle-like form. Over-mixing at this step, and after the chermoula has been added, can make the dish too watery.

Chef Nin recommends serving this salad as a side to skirt steak or eating it with toast for a simple summer dinner. Chermoula is a versatile sauce and pairs nicely with grilled corn if squash isn’t your thing.

Check out the recipe below and let us know how your summer cooking goes.

Recipe

Summer Squash with Moroccan Chermoula

Ingredients

• 2 zucchini 
• 2 yellow squash 
• ¼ cup crème fraîche or labneh

For the chermoula:

• 1 bunch parsley, minced 
• 1 bunch cilantro, minced 
• 1/2 preserved lemon rind, minced 
• 1 tablespoon whole cumin, toasted and ground 
• 1 tablespoon whole coriander, toasted and ground 
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika 
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salt to taste 

Directions

1. Thinly shave the squash and set aside. 
2. In a bowl, mix together all of the ingredients for the chermoula and adjust salt to taste.
3. Lightly mix the squash with a small amount of salt, then add in the chermoula and gently combine. 
4. Garnish with a dallop of labneh or cultured cream of choice.

Check out more seasonal recipes from this series:

• Chef Vicki’s Sweet and Savory Spring Galettes
• Eggplant Manti
• String Bean and New Potato Salad with Chef Rich
• No Churn Concord Grape Ice Cream