How to make courgette ribbons with crispy capers, olives and lemon thyme

All this (wonderful) sun makes us lose our appetite, and the thought of cooking is almost abhorrent, says Julia Platt Leonard. Here she makes a light and bright salad for supper once you’re done enjoying the sun post 9pm

We crave crispy, salty, crunchy dishes when the temperature creeps up (Photography by Julia Platt Leonard)

Hot summer weather makes the idea of cooking feel masochistic. What seemed a good idea only a few months ago – slow braises, roasts, pots bubbling away on the stove – seems a lifetime ago.

Who wants to cook when you can sit outside and marvel that it’s still light out at 9pm?

We also want to eat lighter, fresher foods during bursts of hot weather. Salads of course, but anything whipped up quickly and easily with seasonal produce gets our vote.

Crispy, salty, crunchy are all things we crave when the temperature creeps up. And if it goes well with a glass of rosé, then so much the better.

Courgettes are just the thing. You can eat them raw but I like them after they’ve been hit with a bit of heat. The flavours mellow and they become the perfect base for fresh herbs, lemon and salty capers and olives.

This dish can be made early in the day and served at room temperature alongside a piece of simply grilled fish or chicken. Add bits of goat’s cheese or toasted nuts and serve with crusty bread for a vegetarian main.

Best of all, you’ll be in the kitchen and back out before you know it.

Courgette ribbons with crispy capers, black olives and lemon thyme

Serves two to three as a side dish

1 medium sized courgette
30g capers, drained
40g black olives, pitted
Zest of 1 lemon + generous squeeze of lemon juice
2tbsp olive oil
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
4-5 sprigs of lemon thyme (or regular thyme)
Salt

Cut off the top and tail of the courgette. Using a mandoline, slice the courgette into long, thin strips. If you don’t have a mandoline, use a sharp knife to slice the courgettes as thinly as you can. Set them aside.

Place the capers on a sheet of kitchen paper and gently pat dry. Heat up a small frying pan with the two tablespoons of olive oil. Add the capers – they will spit – and cook for a minute or two until nicely fried and crisp. Drain the capers and save the oil.

Pour the oil into a larger frying pan and saute the garlic until it turns light golden but doesn’t brown. Add the courgettes, stir to coat in the olive oil and garlic and add a splash of water and a sprinkle of salt.

Cover and let the courgette ribbons steam for a minute or two until they begin to soften slightly.

Remove from the heat, add the lemon zest, a generous squeeze of lemon juice. Roughly chop the olives and add them along with the fried capers and thyme leaves, discarding the tough stems.

Taste and add more salt and lemon juice if needed and serve hot or at room temperature.

@juliapleonard