Summer Squash and Cucumber Carpaccio

Recipe from Courtney West

This recipe is best enjoyed right after it’s made. If you’d like to make it ahead of time, keep the components separate until you’d like to eat it. 

1 yellow or green zucchini
1 painted serpent (Armenian) or slicing cucumber
1 small shallot
1/4 cup loosely packed mint leaves
1/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
1 small lemon
2–3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
flaky sea salt, to taste

Trim off the ends of the zucchini and cucumber. Using a mandolin or a vegetable peeler, thinly slice both.

Peel the shallot, then thinly slice it using a knife. If your mint leaves are small, you can leave them whole. If they are larger, gently tear them into smaller pieces with your fingers. 

On a large serving platter or 3-4 smaller plates, arrange the cucumber and zucchini slices in an alternating pattern. Scatter the sliced shallot evenly across the surface followed by the torn mint leaves and the chopped toasted hazelnuts. Cut the lemon in half, then squeeze some of the juice over the carpaccio. Drizzle it with the olive oil, then season with the flaky sea salt. 

Serve and enjoy immediately!