Spotting, and serving, the best summer squash
Everyone at the market has summer squash now, and most vegetable gardens are brimming with it. From my perspective — which is, admittedly, somewhat fanatic — what you want when it comes to summer squash are specimens that are neither too big nor too small.
Very tiny baby squashes, packed for looks more than flavor, tend to be slightly bitter and less than juicy. Oversize squashes (the ones that triple in size when ignored for a day or two in the garden) are past their prime, best fed to the chickens or tossed on the compost pile. Look for signs that the squash has been freshly picked. The skin should be smooth and glistening, free of blemishes or brown spots.
As for varieties, use whatever looks best. Zucchini, whether it’s green or yellow, should be a maximum of 2 inches in diameter. Striped, scalloped-edged pattypans should not exceed 3 inches across, or they are likely to be tough. The globe-shaped green squash known as Ronde de Nice is better at the size of a golf ball; by the time it reaches baseball size, it is apt to be spongy and seedy inside.
For the first squash of the season, I like it best simmered briefly in a little water with a good knob of butter and showered with snipped dill weed, or sautéed gently in butter or oil and finished with a touch of garlic, chopped parsley and lemon zest. It’s also lovely sliced quite thinly with a mandoline and dressed, raw, with lemon juice, capers and olive oil, then left in the salad bowl until slightly wilted.
This week, with more summer squash at hand, I imagined a curried zucchini dish made with coconut milk, and garnished with shellfish to make it a bit more substantial. Steamed mussels and rings of tender squid, or perhaps a few shrimp, I reckoned, would transform this spiced squash stew into a lovely summer meal. I had good results testing this theory and compliments from fellow diners. That, it seemed, would be that.
Then I made a vegetarian version, and found I liked it just as well with the shellfish omitted. It wasn’t really ambivalence — both ways were equally delicious. So I named it Summer Squash Curry, Shellfish Optional. I’ll let you decide.
Summer Squash Curry, Shellfish Optional
Servings: 4 to 6. Total time: 45 minutes.
Coconut oil
1 onion, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon grated garlic
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 serrano or bird’s-eye chili pepper, finely chopped
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon fish sauce or light soy sauce
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1 can coconut milk (about 13.5 ounces)
2 pounds small summer squash, cut in 1-inch cubes, slices or wedges
1 cup shelled peas (optional)
2 pounds mussels (optional)
1 pound squid (optional)
Mint leaves, for garnish
Basil leaves, for garnish
Cilantro sprigs, for garnish
1. Melt 2 tablespoons coconut oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened without browning, about 5 minutes.
2. Add garlic, ginger, chili, turmeric, fish sauce (or soy sauce, for vegetarians) and lime zest and juice, stir, and cook for an additional minute. Add coconut milk, bring to a simmer and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Add summer squash and peas, if using, and cook gently until just tender but still firm, about 5 minutes more. Turn off the heat.
4. Meanwhile, if using mussels and squid, put 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a soup pot over high heat. Add mussels, stir, and cover. When mussels begin to open, after 3 or 4 minutes, add squid, stir and cook, covered, for 2 minutes more. Turn off heat. (Skip this step for a vegetarian version of the recipe.)
5. Transfer squash and sauce to a deep, wide serving dish or divide among large soup bowls. If using, scatter mussels and squid over the top. Garnish with mint, basil and cilantro.
This story was originally published July 20, 2016 at 1:04 PM with the headline "Spotting, and serving, the best summer squash."