Chargrilled Courgettes with Whipped Feta & Blackened Chilli-Lime Dressing
Chargrilling courgettes on the griddle or the barbecue brings out their sweetness, while also giving them elusive smoky notes. Using a mixture of yellow and green courgettes makes for a particularly lovely-looking salad.
This dressing was devised by Leo, Wahaca’s development chef, and it is blissfully light, sharp and zingy all at the same time, perfect for dressing the rich courgette flesh.
Serves: 4-6
Season: Summer
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Photography: Tara Fisher
Food Styling: Kitty Coles & El Kemp
Ingredients
70ml good olive oil
6 large courgettes, green and yellow
few large handfuls of watercress or other peppery leaves
50g toasted hazelnuts (optional)
For the whipped feta:
200g feta, drained
180g Greek yoghurt
2 tbsp tahini
zest and juice of 2 limes
For the dressing:
2 green chillies
12g sea salt
handful mint leaves, plus extra for garnish
Method
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Blitz the feta and yoghurt with the tahini, lime zest and 1–2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Set aside.
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Dry-roast the green chillies in a dry frying pan until blackened in spots all over, then whizz with 50ml water, the salt, mint leaves, 50ml of the lime juice and 25ml of the olive oil.
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Cut the courgettes lengthways into 2cm slices and toss in 1–2 tablespoons of oil. Grill on a griddle or over a barbecue until nicely coloured on each side, turning with tongs. Once they are coloured and tender but not mushy, remove them from the barbecue onto a serving plate.
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Spoon the whipped feta onto a pretty platter, followed by the courgettes. Drizzle with some of the lime dressing. Strew with the watercress and then top with toasted hazelnuts, if using, and the mint leaves. Dress with a little more chilli-lime dressing and serve.
Read more: Meat-Free Mexican
In her years of living in and exploring Mexico, Thomasina Miers came to learn that the country is megadiverse, with an incredible diversity of fruit and vegetables. This book is her homage to vegetarian Mexican cooking, fusing the flavours of Mexico with British seasonal ingredients, every dish is delicious, colourful and vibrant. Photography by Tara Fisher.
— about the author
