Lemon-Marinated Zucchini & Shrimp Crostini
Raw zucchini isn’t the most popular ingredient but when you marinate it in garlicy lemon goodness, it takes on a new texture and is crazy delicious. You’ll want to get your zucchini marinating at least an hour before you plan on assembling your crostini. This recipe would also be nice as a salad but bite-sized crostini work really well for pairing this appetizer with a refreshing cocktail.
Lemon-Marinated Zucchini & Shrimp Crostini
Yields: 20 crostini
Prep/Cook Time: 30 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 1 hour
Lemon-Marinated Zucchini & Shrimp Crostini
Materials
Lemon-Marinated Zucchini
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 garlic clove smashed
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 5 basil leaves torn
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 2 zucchini
Lemon Ricotta
- 1 cup ricotta
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Juice of half lemon
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Shrimp
- ¾ lb jumbo shrimp (21/25), peeled and deveined
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp Old Bay or your favorite spice mix
Crostini
- 20 bruschetta toasts (Asturi Bruschettini is my favorite)
- 20 basil leaves
Instructions
Lemon-Marinated Zucchini
- Combine the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Thinly slice zucchini with a Y-peeler or mandoline and add to the bowl. Toss to coat. Cover with saran and refrigerate for 1 to 5 hours.
Lemon Ricotta
- Add all ingredients in a small bowl. Stir to combine.
Shrimp
- Sprinkle shrimp with Old Bay seasoning and toss to evenly coat.
- Heat oil on a saute pan over medium heat.
- Add shrimp to the pan and cook, stirring frequently until the shrimp is completely pink – 4 to 5 minutes.
Crostini
- Spread toasts on a serving plate.
- Spread a heaping teaspoon of lemon-ricotta on each toast.
- Top each toast with 1-2 zucchini ribbons, 1 basil leaf and 1 shrimp.
Pair Your Crostini With
Pair this appetizer with Cucumber Bee’s Knees. When pairing, first take a sip of your cocktail then a bite of your appetizer. Take one more sip of your cocktail to see what the flavors of the food bring out in your cocktail. The citrus-forward cocktail will brighten and enhance the shrimp just like a squeeze of lemon would!
[…] And if your crowd is too big to make your drinks individually, martinis are actually great for pre-batching! Make a large batch the night before your get together and store in the freezer until you’re ready to serve. The Element Metal Silver Tray is really versatile and has enough room to serve up martinis for your whole group. And if you want to serve them with something yummy, I think they would pair so well with Lemon-Marinated Zucchini Shrimp Crostini! […]