Shaved Zucchini Salad with Mint, Almonds, and Arbequina EVOO

Shaved Zucchini Salad with Mint, Almonds, and Arbequina EVOO

Zucchini is nearly 95% water — a fact that is either a liability or an opportunity, depending on how you handle it. Shaved paper-thin with a mandoline or vegetable peeler, the ribbons expose a porous surface area that raw-cut rounds simply don't have. That surface is extraordinarily receptive to fat, which means this salad is uniquely positioned to demonstrate what a finishing oil can do. The Arbequina varietal's buttery fruitiness coats every ribbon evenly; a peppery, high-oleocanthal oil would overpower the vegetable's subtle sweetness. This is a dish that demands good oil — not despite its simplicity, but because of it.

The other reason this combination works is textural contrast. Salted ribbons soften slightly — pliable, silky, almost like a dressed pasta — while toasted almonds provide the crunch. Fresh mint cuts through the oil's richness; basil rounds out the herbaceous layer with a warmer, anise-adjacent note. Shaved Pecorino Romano contributes the salinity the dish needs without making it heavy. Lemon ties everything together, and the finishing pour of Angelica's EVOO at the table is what elevates the plate from a light side to something memorable.

A note on quantity: the recipe calls for two pours of oil — one tossed in before plating, and one drizzled directly over the finished salad. Do not skip the second pour. At room temperature, undiluted by heat, the oil's aromatic compounds remain fully intact. Angelica's 349 mg/kg polyphenol count is the reason a finishing drizzle tastes different than oil cooked into a dish — you are tasting the oil itself, exactly as it was pressed.

Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: 5 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 medium zucchini (about 1½ lbs), green or a mix of green and yellow
• ½ cup sliced almonds
• ½ cup fresh mint leaves, loosely packed, torn
• ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, torn
• 2 oz Pecorino Romano, shaved thin with a vegetable peeler
• Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
• 3 tablespoons Angelica's Arbequina EVOO, plus more for finishing
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• Flaky sea salt, for finishing
• Lemon wedges, to serve

Instructions:

1. Toast the almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan every 30 seconds, until golden and fragrant, about 3–4 minutes. Transfer immediately to a plate to cool — they continue to darken once off the heat.
2. Using a mandoline set to 1/16-inch, or a sharp vegetable peeler, shave the zucchini lengthwise into long, thin ribbons. Rotate each zucchini as you work to avoid the seedy core.
3. Place the ribbons in a colander, toss with the kosher salt, and let stand 10 minutes. The salt draws out excess moisture and makes the ribbons pliable without cooking them.
4. Pat the zucchini firmly dry with paper towels. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
5. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and 3 tablespoons of EVOO. Toss gently with your hands — fingertips are more precise than tongs — so the ribbons coat evenly without tearing.
6. Add the mint, basil, and half the toasted almonds. Toss once more, just enough to distribute.
7. Pile the salad loosely onto a wide serving platter, letting the ribbons drape naturally rather than pressing them flat.
8. Scatter the shaved Pecorino and remaining almonds over the top. Drizzle generously with additional Angelica's EVOO, finish with flaky sea salt and cracked black pepper, and serve with lemon wedges alongside.

Chef's tips:

• Don't skip the salting step. Ten minutes in the colander removes the water that would otherwise dilute your dressing and pool on the platter. Dry ribbons absorb oil; wet ones repel it.
• The second pour is where the oil earns its keep. The tablespoons tossed in provide background richness. The finishing drizzle — hitting the Pecorino curls, the herbs, and the bare ribbons — is unheated and unemulsified. At that temperature, Angelica's Arbequina shows its grassy, almond-edged fruitiness and the faint peppery catch at the back of the throat: the signature of a polyphenol-rich EVOO doing exactly what it was pressed to do. Heat would erase that.
• Plate just before you sit down. Zucchini continues releasing moisture over time. The window between perfectly silky and waterlogged is about 20 minutes — use it.

Salud!