Chilled Zucchini Noodle and Prosciutto Salad with Sunflower Seeds
Try this Chilled Zucchini Noodle and Prosciutto Salad with Sunflower Seeds recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Chilled Zucchini Noodle and Prosciutto Salad with Sunflower Seeds recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- for the pasta:
- for the vinaigrette:
- 1/2 ablespoon minced shallot
- 3 pieces of prosciutto roughly sliced
- 1 medium zucchini blade c
- 1 teaspoon roasted and salted sunflower seeds
- 2 tablespoons deseeded chopped tomatoes
- Carbohydrate 3.15326890895281 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 3.47525000144734 g
- Fiber 0.0895624989018466 g
- Protein 0.11984374998305 g
- Saturated Fat 0.472220000199849 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (21g)
- Sodium 29.1765936213535 mg
- Sugar 3.06370641005096 g
- Trans Fat 0.0959200000391944 g
- Calories 45 calories
Step-by-step
- Whisk together all of the ingredients for the vinaigrette.
- Then, toss together the prosciutto, zucchini noodles, sunflower seeds, tomatoes and vinaigrette.
- Divide into bowls and top with zucchini.
Leaving raw zucchini un-drained before tossing it with dressing is the single fastest way to turn a crisp raw preparation into a watery pool. Zucchini is composed of more than ninety percent water, and adding vinegar and salt directly to un-prepped strands triggers rapid cellular collapse. Without extraction, free liquid leaches out within minutes, diluting the vinaigrette and drowning the other components. Controlling moisture requires active intervention long before the bowl hits the table.
Managing Moisture and Crunch
Raw ribbons demand a strict ten-minute resting period in a colander sprinkled with fine sea salt to draw out excess cellular water. Pat the strands completely dry with lint-free paper towels immediately after rinsing off the residual salt, because surface moisture blocks oil-based emulsifications from clinging properly. When whisking the emulsion, combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, and Dijon mustard in a narrow jar rather than a wide bowl; vigorous shaking creates a temporary suspension that clings to the dry ribbons instead of pooling at the bottom. Fold the roughly sliced prosciutto, roasted sunflower seeds, and deseeded chopped tomatoes into the strands just before serving to maintain the distinct snap of the seeds against the yielding cured meat. Consuming the dish within twenty minutes prevents the salt from breaking down the remaining cell walls entirely.
- Substitute lemon juice for red wine vinegar at a one-to-one ratio if a brighter, fruitier acidity is preferred, though the sharper bite of vinegar cuts through the fat of the prosciutto more effectively.
- Replace sunflower seeds with toasted pine nuts using an identical volume measurement, keeping in mind that softer nuts lack the sharp snap required to contrast the yielding texture of the ribbons.
- Store un-dressed vegetable strands in a sealed glass container lined with a dry paper towel for up to twenty-four hours maximum; moisture will accumulate rapidly beyond that window, rendering the raw texture limp and soggy.
