Vegetable
Courgette
CalabacínCarbassóCucurbita pepo
Anyone with a plant in the garden knows: one day it's a finger, three days later a baseball bat. The small ones are the good ones; the giants are water and seeds.
When
Around: May–Sept · At its best: Jun–Aug
Around: May–Sept · At its best: Jun–Aug
Around: Nov–Mar · At its best: Dec–Feb
Around here
In Catalonia it's one of the pillars of samfaina, the summer stew of aubergine, pepper, tomato and onion served with salt cod, chicken or eggs. The flowers are eaten too: some markets sell them in summer, for frying in batter.
At the market
- Small to medium, around 15-20 centimetres.
- Glossy, taut skin, with no bruises or soft spots.
- Heavy and firm from end to end, especially at the stalk end.
- A green, fresh stalk; if it's dry or mouldy, it's been picked a while.
At home
- In the fridge's veg drawer, unwashed.
- It keeps four or five days; after that it softens and wrinkles.
- The flowers, the same day.
If you have too much
- Grate it, squeeze it well and freeze it in bags: it later goes into omelettes, cakes or croquettes.
- Diced, sautéed for a couple of minutes and frozen, for stews and soups.
- Make samfaina or courgette soup in bulk and freeze it in portions.
- Pickle it: thin slices in vinegar, water, salt and a little sugar.
In the kitchen
- Raw, shaved very thin with lemon, oil and cheese.
- Courgette and onion omelette.
- Samfaina, with salt cod or fried eggs.
- Courgette soup with a little soft cheese.
- Stuffed with mince or its own flesh and onion, then gratinated.
- The flowers, battered or stuffed with cheese.
What it brings
Per 100 g, raw.
- Energy
- 17 kcal
- Water
- 95% water
- Carbs
- 3.1 g
- Sugars
- 2.5 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
- Protein
- 1.2 g
Stands out for
- Source of vitamin C17.9 mg · 22% of what you need in a day
Data from the USDA (FoodData Central). See the full table ↗ · How we decide what stands out
Goes with
- AubergineJun–OctIt's a sponge: it soaks up all the oil you give it. Charred whole over a flame it becomes something else, creamy and smoky, without a drop extra.
- TomatoJun–OctAn August tomato and a January one only share the colour. And a good tomato's worst enemy isn't winter: it's your fridge.
- PepperJul–OctGreen and red are usually the same pepper at two stages: the red one was left to ripen on the plant. That's why it's sweeter and dearer.