Since we put in the garden in 2011, I’ve always dedicated a block of the garden to zucchini and yellow squash. They are easy to grow, very prolific in the amount of produce they bear and last throughout the summer and often in to fall. Unfortunately, this year was a total bust! The two plants I planted in May flourished at first, then fairly quickly withered away by early July. It’s so unfortunate, but what adds salt to the wound is paying upwards of $3 a pound at the farmers market for something I couldn’t give away just a year or two ago. So, I’m left with buying zucchini at the market now, but its worth it for this really yummy marinated grilled zucchini. I like to find mini baby zucchini for this recipe as they hold their shape well throughout the marinating and grilling, resulting in less mushy zucchini. However, if you only have large squash on hand, slice them in half and then each half in about 2 inch chunks. This recipe would also work for yellow squash. If you can’t find baby zucchini at your local market, I’ve had success finding them at Trader Joe’s.

Grilled Asian Baby Zucchini

Yield: 4 servings

• 1/4 c. soy sauce
• 1/4 c. olive or canola oil
• 3 Tbs. toasted sesame oil
• 2 tsp. ground ginger
• 2 Tbs. rice vinegar
• 1.5 lbs baby zucchini

Pour the first 5 ingredients in to a resealable storage bag and shake to combine. Slice the zucchini lengthwise and add to the bag with the marinade. Seal the bag, make sure all pieces are coated with the marinate and let sit for 30-60 minutes, turning the bag occasionally to ensure an even exposure to the marinade.

Place a grill pan on the grate and heat the grill to high heat. Once the grill is up to temperature, place the zucchini halves on the grill pan and discard the marinade. Turn the zucchini after about 4-5 minutes to ensure even grilling on each side.

After about 8-10 minutes total, when the zucchini have nice char marks on the outside, remove them from the heat. Serve immediately. We served our grilled zucchini as a side to a delicious steak, but would go great with any grilled meat or fish.