Marinated Raw Zucchini Salad
Last Updated on April 11, 2025 by Betty Davies
Raw zucchini ribbons are marinated in garlic, lemon and herbs and served with crumbled feta and pine nuts for a wonderfully vibrant salad. Simple to make but oh so tasty!
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This simple raw zucchini salad is wonderfully light and fresh tasting with flavors of lemon and garlic in every bite. Topped with creamy feta and crunchy pine nuts, it’s perfect for serving during the spring and summer.
Really easy to make, this make for a great salad side dish for weeknight dinners and cookouts.
Marinating the zucchini ribbons makes them perfectly tender and wonderfully flavorful and the whole dish comes together with very little effort.
Be sure to check out my Roasted White Zucchini Recipe and Sautéed Zucchini with Onions too!
Why you will love this recipe!
- Few ingredients: This salad doesn’t require a long list of ingredients to make.
- Easy: There’s really nothing complicated about this recipe. It is easy to prep and very quick to put together once the zucchini is marinaded.
- Versatile: This side salad is great to serve with all of your favorite mains!
- Dietary info: This marinated raw zucchini salad is vegetarian, low carb and gluten-free.
Ingredients Notes
- Zucchini: Use small or medium sized zucchini. They are more tender than the larger ones and contain less water.
- Lemon: This recipe uses both the zest and juice of a lemon. Use fresh for the best flavor.
- Extra virgin olive oil: This adds a nice rich flavor. You can use a lite olive oil if you prefer.
- Seasonings: Salt, black pepper and Italian herbs.
- Feta: Use a block of fresh feta rather than ready crumbled. Fresh is much more creamy and less dry.
- Pine nuts: These add a lovely texture and flavor and make the salad just that little more interesting.
How to make marinated zucchini salad
Be sure to scroll down for the full recipe!
- Marinate the zucchini ribbons (photo 1).
- Remove excess marinade (photo 2).
- Top the zucchini with feta and pine nuts to serve (photo 3).
Recipe Variations
I love this raw zucchini salad with feta cheese, but parmesan or even stilton would work great. Rather than use fresh garlic, you can use a garlic infused olive oil for a more subtle flavor. Fresh herbs like basil, parsley or chives can easily be added to this dish if you like.
Serving Suggestions
This is a really versatile salad side dish and it’s particularly great with chicken or fish with the flavors of lemon and garlic. Try it with some of these favorite mains:
Make Ahead and Storage
You can marinate the zucchini for up to 4 hours before making the salad. Once made, it will keep well, covered in the fridge, for a couple of hours before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Trim the ends off of the zucchinis and use a Y shaped vegetable peeler to make the zucchini ribbons. Run the peeler from one end to another. Discard the outer layers that are fully green. You can also use a mandoline slicer.
I found that around one hour of marinating time worked the best. Thirty minutes works well if you are short on time, but you can leave it for up to 4 hours. After that, the zucchini can start to become quite watery.
Yes! Diced or rounds of zucchini will also work in this recipe, but I love the elegant look of the ribbons!
So easy to make but so flavorful, this marinated raw zucchini salad is perfect to enjoy throughout the spring and summer.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Use small or medium sized zucchini. They contain less water and seeds and are more tender and flavorful.
- For best results, marinade the zucchini for around 1 hour. Though anywhere between 30 minutes and 4 hours will work well.
- Once marinated, use kitchen paper to remove excess liquid. Place the zucchini on several sheets and pat the tops of the ribbons. If you don’t, the zucchini can get soggy and liquid will pool on the bottom of the serving dish.
More Salad Recipes
- Spinach, Blueberry and Feta Salad
- Greek Potato Salad
- Lentil Cranberry Salad
- Caprese Salad Cucumber Boats
Marinated Raw Zucchini Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Italian herbs
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 medium zucchini
- 3 tablespoons pinenuts
- ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese (4 tablespoons)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the ingredients for the marinade.1 garlic clove, zest and juice of 1 lemon, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon Italian herbs, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Trim the ends off of the zucchinis and use a Y shaped vegetable peeler to make the zucchini ribbons. Run the peeler from one end to another. Discard the outer layers that are fully green.4 medium zucchini
- Place the zucchini ribbons in the marinade and toss well. Cover and place in the fridge for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
- Place the zucchini ribbons on kitchen paper and pat gently to remove excess moisture.
- Place the zucchini on a serving plate and top with the pine nuts and feta cheese.3 tablespoons pinenuts, ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
Notes
- Use small or medium sized zucchini. They contain less water and seeds and are more tender and flavorful.
- For best results, marinade the zucchini for around 1 hour. Though anywhere between 30 minutes and 4 hours will work well.
- Once marinated, use kitchen paper to remove excess liquid. Place the zucchini on several sheets and pat the tops of the ribbons. If you don’t, the zucchini can get soggy and liquid will pool on the bottom of the serving dish.
