Zucchini and Fennel Salad

By Lisa Donovan

Updated July 11, 2025

Zucchini and Fennel Salad
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Sophia Eleni Pappas.
Total Time
30 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Rating
5(230)
Comments
Read comments

It’s not properly summer until you have too much zucchini in your life, spilling out of your market bags and collecting in your crisper drawer. This recipe takes what might feel like a bumper crop burden and makes it a star of the season once more. Fresh, crisp and bright, this plucky, lemony shaved zucchini and fennel salad is easy to throw together for a lovely summer luncheon or dinner. An incredibly à la minute salad, the vegetables are basically softened in the moment with the salt and the acid, so make sure to serve this salad quickly for optimal texture and taste. While it is crispest and freshest as soon as it’s made, leftovers will be just as lovely, albeit not as crisp, the next day, and can be perked up with fresh herbs or even repurposed: Roughly chop and toss with arugula and cooked chicken for a great, hearty lunch. This is a salad that gives and gives. 

Featured in: Too Much Zucchini? This Salad Can Save the Day

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:8 to 10 servings
  • 3medium zucchini (about 1 pound)
  • 2medium fennel bulbs (about 1 pound) 
  • 1large or 2 small shallots
  • Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
  • 3small to medium lemons
  • 3tablespoons red wine vinegar, plus more to taste
  • 1heaping teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, plus more to taste
  • 1loosely packed cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1loosely packed cup fresh dill fronds
  • ½loosely packed cup chopped mint leaves
  • 1cup lightly toasted pine nuts or chopped pistachios
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)

129 calories; 10 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 348 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare the vegetables: Using a mandoline (or a sharp knife), slice the zucchini lengthwise into very thin ribbons, about 1/16-inch thick. (The thinner the slices, the better they will ribbon, but slices that are too thin will not hold up to the vinegar and salt.) Transfer to a large bowl.

  2. Step 2

    Shave the fennel and shallots crosswise to the same thickness and add them to the bowl with the zucchini. Toss to combine, add 2 teaspoons of salt, and toss again.

  3. Step 3

    Zest all 3 lemons over the vegetables. Halve 2 of the lemons and juice 3 of the halves through a small strainer over the vegetables. Reserve the remaining lemons for final adjustments.

  4. Step 4

    Add the vinegar and black pepper and toss everything together. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more lemon juice, vinegar, salt or black pepper as needed. Give this step your time and as many tastes and adjustments as it needs; it will matter in the end. You’re looking for the flavors to be plucky, bright and fresh, but not too tart or acidic.

  5. Step 5

    Add the herbs and ¾ of the nuts and toss until incorporated; transfer to a platter. (It’s OK if some liquid gets left behind.) Sprinkle with the remaining nuts and a few more cracks of black pepper and serve immediately.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

5 out of 5
230 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

Wet and Wild

Overall enjoyed the flavours in this one and my fam also quite liked it. It was a surprise to not see salting and draining the zucchini before combining. This is a must or you end up with salad soup. Mandolin the zucchini’s, salt heavily and set aside to drain for 20-30min, then continue.

Steve Upstill

If your problem is excess zucchini, the solution is this brilliant three-ingredient Spanish soup, astoundingly good for the effort: 1) Thin-slice half as much onion as zucchini. (If you're confronting doorstop marrows on the zucchini front, scoop out the spongy center first.) 2) Heat a goodly amount of olive oil in a pot and cook the onions until tender and translucent. 3) Add the zucchini and proceed likewise. 4) Take a stick blender to it, taste for salt, and serve with a lashing of olive oil.

Tejas Grandpa

Definitely need to salt generously and let rest and drain

Jim Donovan

I made a variant of this salad -- I added some small, dark salad leaves and olive oil -- and served it to my lemon-loving wife, Lise (Danish spelling, although she's Swedish) Donovan, who liked it.

Jesse

Delicious! I heavily salted the zucchini and fennel and let them sit in a colander for 20 minutes to remove some moisture. (Did not rinse, they’d end up too soggy. Despite the heavy salting, they did not taste overly salty when done draining.) Had a bag of sugar snap peas in the fridge I added—cut off the tips then sliced on the bias. Added some nice substance to the meal without disrupting the light and fresh vibe. Skipped the mint as I didn’t have any at hand, though I bet it would be a delicious addition. Added a light drizzle of some good olive oil and some extra black pepper before serving.

Dana

One of the most refreshing and delicious salads I have ever made. similar to one we had in Italy. I added parmesan!

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.