Move over thinly sliced raw beef, green zucchini’s in town and it’s here to show that there’s more than one way to enjoy carpaccio! Zucchini Carpaccio – fresh, crisp and delicious – this is a makeover worth trying!
If you’re a fan of carpaccio, the traditional Italian dish made of thinly sliced beef or fish, served with fresh lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil, curls of Parmesan, salt, pepper, and arugula – then this seasonal twist is sure to get your attention.
With temperatures continuing to rise and zucchini soon becoming more and more abundant…this is a recipe you’ll want on hand.
Are you familiar with the history of this recipe?
Speaking of history – let’s go back about 40 years into the archives of my life, shall we? I wish I had loved my 10th grade history class as much as I love the history of this dish. Picture this – relatively shy girl wakes up in the middle of social studies class (you read that right) to discover that the movie they were watching on the back wall had finished. Everyone’s seat was now facing forward, except hers. Would she soon forget? Clearly not! Good times!!
Not one of my finer high school moments, but thankfully we can laugh now…
I’m sure if we were learning about Vittore Carpaccio, a Venetian painter from the early sixteenth century, and how his work centuries later would become the name-inspiration for the stunning dish, I could have saved myself an embarrassing moment…for a little while anyway… 😉
As the story goes, Giuseppe Cipriani, founder of Harry’s Bar, prepared beef carpaccio for his friend Amalia Nani Mocenigo upon learning that her doctors recommend that she eat raw meat.
The dish was named ‘carpaccio’ after the painter who was known for the characteristic red and white tones of his work.
The original dish is most often served as antipasti, but zucchini carpaccio doesn’t need to end there. It can be enjoyed as a side salad, lunch, light dinner…the possibilities are endless.
I think it’s important to note that no one ingredient is the star…you need them all. Together they create the gastronomic experience I want you to have. I need you to have. 🙂
HOW TO PREPARE:
- Begin by slicing a couple medium sized zucchini into paper-thin rounds. I recommend using a mandoline (but be very careful!).
- Slice the zucchini directly onto the serving platter that you’ll be using.
- Next, using a potato peeler, shave curls of Parmesan directly over the zucchini…shave as much or as little as you like.
- Next, deliver salt and freshly ground pepper, a nice drizzle of olive oil and the juice of a lemon.
- Lastly, garnish with arugula or any mixed greens you have on hand.
This dish is sure to become a summer staple in our house…
I hope in your house, too!
Buon Appetito!
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Zucchini Carpaccio
- Category: Antipasti
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
Zucchini Carpaccio…fresh, crisp and delicious – this is a makeover worth trying!
Ingredients
- 2 zucchini
- Freshly shaved Parmigiano Reggiano
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- Juice from 1 lemon
- Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1 – 2 cups arugula
Instructions
- Trim the ends of the zucchini, then using a mandoline, slice into paper thin rounds directly onto a large serving platter.
- Shave curls of Parmigiano directly over the zucchini.
- Season with salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice.
- Garnish with arugula.
- Serve immediately.
CIAO!
What a fantastic vegetarian option for this dish, love your history lesson behind this dish too, you’re so full of wonderful knowledge! Will be giving this a try soon!
This is fun stuff! Thanks, Kev!
Zucchini season is often overlooked but not with this delicious recipe!! I love how fresh and vibrant this is! The perfect appetizer – especially with those huge shavings of parmesan! YUM! Give me a glass of crisp white wine and I’m there!
Coming right up! Thanks, Haylie!
Simple and delicious! This is my kind of dish, girl!
Mine too! Thanks, Kathrine!
Annie, I could totally dig in to this zucchini carpaccio! The flavors are amazing! Lol so funny how you woke up in class. No one was nice enough to even give you a little nudge? I would have given you a little nudge, my friend! 🙂
Hahaha! I know, right?! Kids!! Thank you, my friend! xo
Classy, elegant and simple! This is beautiful! Pinning!
Thanks so much, Kim!!
That must have been a shock to realize you’d fallen asleep! I love it!!
And beef carpaccio is one of my all time favorites. Love this super fresh, lightened up riff with zucchini! I’ll definitely be making this beauty while zucchini is at its peak!
Hahaha! It sure was!! Thanks, my friend! Enjoy!!
What a creative recipe Annie! I’d be so into this. I’m a huge zucchin fan and my brother in law will have a few to give away this summer from his garden! So excited to try this!
Oh yes – add this to your repertoire of fresh zucchini recipes! Thanks, friend!
I remember this beauty…which makes me think I have gotta make this soon! So perfect for the season – light, fresh and just straight up delicious! Pinned! Happy Monday lovely 🙂 XOXO
It is so addicting!! Add plenty of parm! You will love it, my friend! xoxo
I just made this, even though I don’t have arugula. OMG! I love it! Thank you so much for sharing this, Annie! xo
Isn’t it amazing?!!!! I love it too! So happy you tried it! xo
Your double story was fantastic! So much great food seems to have originated out of Harry’s Bar, but then again the Italians know how to do things up right. 🙂 This recipe is going to be a go-to for me over the summer – I actually just got back in the house from my garden where I planted 9 zucchini plants for the 2 of us, so we’re going to be eating a lot of this!
I thought this might be one you like! So happy!! Thanks, my friend! And Harry’s Bar? Forget about it!!
haha oh my gosh that story!! I think I would have died! I can’t believe no old told you it was over!! Love this twist on the traditional dish with zucchini! I loveee my zucchini!
Hahahah! I know(!) – 51 year old me can laugh….15 – not so much!!! 😉 Thank you for your kind words my friend! 🙂
Your carpaccio looks delicious, and so does that stone that you’re serving it on.
Why thank you, friend! I know – isn’t that stone beautiful…I found it at the Boston Public Market. I always seem to find little gems when I’m there! 🙂
The abundance of zucchini from the garden will be here soon! I will need to give this a try! I think the problem with your history class was it wasn’t focusing on food history! Then you would have been totally alert….right? 🙂
I have to say this is one of my very favorite recipes using zucchini! Hope you like it! Well – you have got that right, my friend! Too bad there were no Regents Food History courses… 😉 I would have been the star pupil! 🙂
That is the best story! ?
I’ve never heard of this dish before, but we always have a ton of zucchini in the garden. This would be fun to try!
We can never have too many zucchini recipes! Hope you give it a try! Thanks, friend! 🙂
Well, first of all, I have to say that your story made me laugh 😀 May have been a tad embarrassing for you at the time, but at least now you have the memory and can get a little chuckle out of it 😉
I do enjoy carpaccio and what a fun twist this is, especially for Summer! So light and refreshing and the perfect side to all that grilling hubby and I will be doing. Pinned! I love your pics, too, by the way…beautiful as always. Have a lovely weekend, my friend 🙂
So glad it made you laugh! Makes me laugh every time! 🙂 I think you’ll really enjoy this, my friend! Thanks for stopping by with a kind word!! 🙂
I have never had of heard of carpaccio before, but looking at your stunning and delicious pictures I want them! Love zucchini like anything, so this is a MUST try for me! 🙂
This dish was made popular using beef – but this veggie version is just as good if not better (especially if you’re not a meat eater!). 🙂 Thanks, friend!!