Vietnamese shaved zucchini salad with pickled red onion and toasted peanuts

Zucchini is a criminally underrated vegetable. It can cop a bad rap, like many vegetables - I think that’s because we’ve often eaten it over-cooked or poorly prepped.

Sometimes, the more you cook a zucchini, the worse it gets. They get treated like an eggplant or firmer squash, get over done and don’t taste their best. Eating them al-dente or even raw is so fantastic.

When cooking them, I like to cut them lengthways to get some good surface area, then quickly char them on a bbq or skillet – a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper – and it’s all you need. They are so perfect!

Here, with the humble veggie peeler, we’re prepping them to eat raw in a kind of quick-pickle. Easily made ahead of time, it’s a really satisfying barbecue side, great on burgers or on a ploughman’s platter, on a bahn-mi or with some pulled pork. A lively addition to any summer spread!