Grilled zucchini with lemon and Dijon dressing
- Preparation 10 min
- Cooking 5 min
- Servings 3 to 4
- Freezing I do not suggest
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🍋 Born from leftover dressing in the fridge
This recipe is a happy accident. The night before, I’d made my beef tenderloin salad with its lemon and Dijon mustard vinaigrette. The next day, I was making a rib roast in the oven and I had some leftover dressing in the fridge. I figured it would probably be great on grilled zucchini. Honestly, it was insane how good it was. The lemon and Dijon wake up the zucchini, which needs a little help in the flavour department, and the honey softens things just enough so it doesn’t bite. Since then, I don’t wait for leftovers to make it.
🌿 The spice I always have in my cupboard
The secret on the grill is the Clubhouse Lemon & Herb seasoning. It’s one of my favourite spice blends, I put it on everything, and it’s truly a must-have in the kitchen. I buy it in a big jar because I go through it fast. On zucchini, it doubles down on the citrus note from the vinaigrette and adds a little herby quality that makes all the difference. If you can’t find it, any lemon-based spice blend will do.
🔥 Zero marinade, five minutes on the grill
Every grilled zucchini recipe I see tells you to marinate for an hour in the fridge. I don’t do that, and I’d even say it’s pointless: zucchini is loaded with water, the marinade doesn’t penetrate, it stays on the surface and ends up dripping down into the barbecue. I slice thick, oil, season, grill, and drizzle only when it comes off. It’s fresh, it’s light, and it’s the perfect side dish next to a steak or a roast.
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🔪 Slice thick, lengthwise
That’s rule number one with zucchini on the barbecue. Thin slices go soft and tear the moment you try to flip them, and they fall through the grill grates. Half an inch, about 1.5 cm, is the sweet spot: thick enough to handle the flipping and stay crunchy in the centre, thin enough to cook all the way through in five minutes. Lengthwise rather than in rounds, you get beautiful strips that look great on the plate. For a medium zucchini, I usually cut it into three.
⏲️ Don’t overcook. That’s the whole secret
Zucchini is more than 90% water. Past a certain point, it releases everything and turns soft, bland, textureless. Five minutes total, no more, and you pull it when it’s tender but still firm in the centre. If you’re not sure, take them off too early rather than too late: they keep cooking a little on the plate. A mushy zucchini, there’s no saving it.
🚫 Don’t waste your time marinating
Everyone tells you to marinate your zucchini for an hour in the fridge. I never do. The flesh is so saturated with water that the marinade basically can’t get in. It stays on the surface, then drips into the barbecue and causes flare-ups. Oil it, season it, grill it, drizzle after. You get more flavour in less time.
🔀 The 45-degree rotation for crosshatch marks
Two minutes on the grill, then you rotate each slice 45 degrees without flipping it, and you keep going for two more minutes. That gives you a crosshatch of grill marks that makes the plate look a lot better. It’s not just cosmetic: those caramelized zones concentrate the vegetable’s natural sugars, and that’s where the grilled flavour develops.
🍋 Drizzle only when it comes off the barbecue
If you put the vinaigrette on before or during cooking, the lemon and honey burn on the grill and you lose the acidity that makes the whole dish interesting. The vinaigrette goes on the plate, over still-hot zucchini: the heat releases the aromas from the zest and garlic without cooking them. And you don’t need to use it all. A quarter cup is enough for three zucchini, and the rest keeps in the fridge for a salad.
🌿 A lemon spice blend changes everything for zucchini
Zucchini doesn’t have much flavour on its own. That’s its weak point. That’s why I season it generously before the grill. I use the Clubhouse Lemon & Herb seasoning, two good tablespoons for three zucchini, which might seem like a lot but is exactly what it needs. Any lemon-based blend works if that’s what you have on hand.
🥗 The next day, turn them into a salad
Cold, this zucchini is excellent in a salad with a little arugula and the rest of the vinaigrette. That said, I prefer it hot or warm, straight off the barbecue. That’s when the contrast between the heat of the vegetable and the cold acidity of the vinaigrette is at its most interesting.
✅ What to serve with my grilled zucchini with lemon and Dijon vinaigrette?
It’s a side dish, so it’s looking for a piece of meat. I made it the first time alongside a rib roast from the oven, and that’s probably the best pairing: the richness of the beef and the acidity of the lemon answer each other perfectly. They’re also perfect with my Beef sirloin with homemade Montreal steak spices, or alongside my Grilled beef hanger steak with white beer if you’re already firing up the barbecue. For a complete vegetable plate, add my Grilled BBQ asparagus or my Grilled corn with chipotle butter.
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Vinaigrette
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup (60 ml) lemon juice, about 1 lemon
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) honey
- 2 tsp (10 ml) Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- ¼ tsp (1 ml) kosher salt
- A pinch of freshly ground pepper
Zucchini
- 3 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise into ½ in (1.5 cm) thick slices
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) Clubhouse Lemon & Herb seasoning
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
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Preparation
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, honey, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt and pepper until the vinaigrette is emulsified. Set aside.
- Preheat the barbecue to maximum heat and oil the grates.
- Slice the zucchini lengthwise into ½ in (1.5 cm) thick slices. Brush them with olive oil on both sides, then season with salt, pepper and the Lemon & Herb seasoning.
- Place the zucchini on the hot grill and cook for 2 minutes. Rotate 45 degrees and continue cooking for 2 minutes to get crosshatch grill marks. Flip and grill for 1 more minute. They should be tender but still firm in the centre.
- Arrange the zucchini on a serving plate and drizzle with about ¼ cup (60 ml) of vinaigrette, a little more to taste. Serve immediately.
No, and it’s probably the most widespread advice that serves no purpose. Zucchini is more than 90% water, which means its flesh is already saturated and a marinade basically can’t get in. All it does is sit on the surface, then drip into the barbecue and cause flare-ups. What actually works is a brush of oil for heat conduction, a dry seasoning before the grill, and a vinaigrette drizzled on after cooking. You get more flavour in five minutes instead of an hour.
Anything lemony and herby. Zucchini is a very mild, almost neutral vegetable, so it needs you to give it character rather than just nudging it subtly. Blends based on lemon zest, thyme, oregano and garlic are unbeatable, and that’s exactly why I use the Clubhouse Lemon & Herb seasoning. Parmesan, sumac, za’atar and Espelette pepper also work really well. What to avoid are heavy, sweet spices like cinnamon or rib rubs, which completely overpower the vegetable.
Two things, and only two. First, slice thick: half an inch, about 1.5 cm, lengthwise. Thin slices have no chance. They collapse the moment they hit the heat. Second, don’t overcook: five minutes total over high heat, and you pull them when they’re tender but still firm in the centre. High heat matters, because low heat makes the zucchini sweat instead of sear, and that’s what turns it to mush. If you’re unsure, pull them too early rather than too late.
Yes. On a well-heated cast iron grill pan, you get the same grill marks and practically the same result, with the same timing. In the oven, place the slices on a baking sheet and roast at 425 °F (220 °C) for 12 to 15 minutes, flipping halfway through: you lose the grill marks but the flavour is still excellent. In an air fryer, count 8 to 10 minutes at 400 °F (200 °C) in a single layer without stacking. In all cases, the vinaigrette goes on after cooking.
It’s a side dish that calls for a beautiful cut of beef. I created them alongside a rib roast from the oven, and they’re just as good with my beef sirloin with homemade montreal steak spices or my grilled beef hanger steak with white beer. If you want to build a complete grilled vegetable plate, add my grilled bbq asparagus and my grilled corn with chipotle butter, and you’ve got a full barbecue spread without a single piece of meat if that’s what you’re going for.
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