Pasta Salad with Smoked Salmon and Lemon-Marinated Zucchini

Name: Pasta Salad with Smoked Salmon and Lemon-Marinated Zucchini
Total time: 5160 s
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 11 oz short pasta (320 grams); 7 oz zucchini (200 grams); 7 oz smoked salmon (200 grams); 4 sweet peppers; A few fresh basil leaves (use as much as you like); Juice of 2 lemons; Extra-virgin olive oil; 1 pinch salt; Ground black pepper

ggr @george

Athens

I remember like it was yesterday when my wife once asked me to write a description for the new little salad she had made and served us at the table. Even though I’d seen a bunch of these... "I don’t even want to say their name" in the salad bowl, I decided I’d do her this favor. Without even tasting it first, of course.
“A fresh and deliciously flavorful dish. The special combination of smoked salmon with the delicate, refreshing taste of marinated zucchini (my goodness, how do these words come to me?), is made even better by the light touch of sweet pepper and the Mediterranean aroma of basil... But what am I saying!!!
"Enough, I can’t do this anymore. Forget me, let someone else do this job.... I said enough!!!
And then, I tasted it. I tried a salad with raw zucchini!!! And I put my fork down and took another forkful from the bowl. And when I finished, I went back for more. And I ate, this time straight from the salad bowl...
And then, I tasted it... I tasted a salad with raw zucchini!!! And then, suddenly, I put my fork back in the bowl and took another forkful onto my plate. And when I finished that, I put my fork back in the bowl and this time ate straight from the bowl...
Rude, you might say… Well, try it first and then we’ll talk....

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Ingredients

15 minutes + 10-11 minutes (+ 1 hour resting time)

4 servings

11 ozshort pasta (320 grams)
7 ozzucchini (200 grams)
7 ozsmoked salmon (200 grams)
4sweet peppers
A fewfresh basil leaves (use as much as you like)
Juice of 2 lemons
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 pinchsalt
Ground black pepper

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Steps

15 minutes + 10-11 minutes (+ 1 hour resting time)

1

First, wash the outside of the zucchini thoroughly. Since you'll be using them with the skin on (mainly for color contrast, but you can peel them if you prefer), make sure to clean them well.
2

After washing, slice the zucchini lengthwise into very thin strips (about 1 mm if possible). Use any tool you find convenient.
3

Place each slice into a wide dish where you’ve already squeezed the lemon juice. Transfer to the refrigerator to marinate for at least 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
4

After marinating, remove from the fridge and cut most of the zucchini into very thin strips lengthwise, leaving some slices whole. This way, you'll have two shapes of zucchini in the salad.
5

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta and drain it while still al dente (about 2 minutes less than the package instructions). Reserve a little of the cooking water.
6

Wash and remove the seeds from the sweet peppers, then cut them into small pieces (about 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch). Separate the slices of smoked salmon and cut them into thin strips.
7

In a large bowl (or directly in the serving dish), mix the zucchini strips and slices with the salmon strips and sweet peppers.
8

Season lightly with salt and pepper. Drain the pasta, rinse it under cold water (since this is a cold salad, rinsing removes the starch and keeps it from sticking), let it cool, and add it to the bowl with the other ingredients.
9

Mix well and drizzle with a thin stream of good olive oil, then add a few basil leaves. Mix everything together again until well combined and your salad is ready.
10

(If you want your salad to be a bit more moist, not completely dry, you can add a little of the reserved pasta cooking water while mixing. If you prefer it more tangy, add some of the lemon marinade instead of the cooking water.)
11

You can serve the salad in the bowl (or salad dish), or on individual plates.