Natural form

Whole zucchini showing smooth dark-green skin, cylindrical body, and stem end.

Establishes the defining shape, color, and surface texture that identifies zucchini at a glance.

Produce

Zucchini

Tender summer squash for grilling, sautéing, and noodles

Mild and quick-cooking, zucchini grills, sautés, and spirals into noodles, soaking up whatever seasoning you give it. Keep it cold and use within a week.

Zucchini (courgette) is a tender summer squash with mild, slightly sweet flesh and edible skin that cooks quickly and soaks up whatever seasoning it's given. Sliced and grilled, sautéed, spiralized into noodles, grated into fritters and cakes, or stuffed and baked, it's endlessly adaptable. Its main quirk is water: it releases a lot when cooked, so a quick high-heat sear or a salt-and-squeeze keeps it from going to mush.

Measured in: piece
Storage: Refrigerate
Shelf life: 7 days

Find it in

Produce

Types & varieties

Green zucchini

The common dark-green courgette; all-purpose

Yellow (golden) zucchini

Sweeter, milder; pretty mixed with green

Romanesco / ribbed

Pale ridged Italian type; firm and flavorful

Baby zucchini / blossoms

Tiny squash and edible flowers; a delicacy

How to choose

Want firm, heavy zucchini with smooth, glossy, taut skin and no soft spots, wrinkles, or dull patches. Small to medium ones (under about 20 cm) are the best — sweeter, denser, fewer seeds. Giant marrows are watery, seedy, and bland, fit mainly for grating into bakes.

How to store and prep

Keep zucchini in the crisper, loosely bagged, and use within about a week — it's more perishable than winter squash and goes soft and slimy when old. No peeling needed; the skin is thin and nutritious. Trim the ends, then slice, dice, ribbon, grate, or spiralize as your dish requires.

Refrigerate; use within a week
Don't peel — the skin is good
Small zucchini beat giant ones

How to manage the water

Zucchini is mostly water, which floods the pan and makes it soggy if you cook it gently or crowd it. To keep it from steaming, cook it hot and fast in a single layer to sear and caramelize, or grill it. For fritters, cakes, and fillings, salt grated zucchini, let it sit, then squeeze out the liquid in a towel before using.