Zucchini Rolls Recipe
Want a quick and tasty appetizer? Try these Zucchini Rolls with SMOKED SALMON and cream cheese, a simple and appetizing recipe perfect for a fresh appetizer or an original aperitif.
To prepare Grilled Zucchini Rolls you’ll only need a few minutes and with simple fresh ingredients, you will create a Finger Food with a balanced, fresh, and light taste that no one will be able to resist!
The necessary ingredients are: zucchini, smoked salmon sliced thinly, creamy spreadable cheese, parmesan, and oil.
The recipe calls for a very quick cooking: once sliced very thinly, the zucchini should be grilled on a griddle, pan, or air fryer (it only takes 10 minutes).
I chose to use as a filling for the Zucchini Rolls a layer of creamy and flavorful cream cheese like Philadelphia to balance the strong taste of smoked salmon: the creaminess of the cheese combined with the buttery texture of the salmon and the grilled zucchini left just crispy make a perfect match.
Zucchini are particularly suitable for turning into ribbons and thus into delicious rolls, each time different; moreover, they can be prepared ahead and served at the last minute as a second course or even at an aperitif as Finger Food.
So let’s not waste any more time and move to the kitchen to enjoy these tasty Grilled Zucchini Rolls with cream cheese and Salmon together!
If you are looking for other tasty Zucchini Recipes, also try these
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stove, Oven, Air Fryer
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 215.72 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 2.22 (g) of which sugars 0.41 (g)
- Proteins 14.90 (g)
- Fat 16.86 (g) of which saturated 2.05 (g)of which unsaturated 1.82 (g)
- Fibers 0.65 (g)
- Sodium 944.01 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 60 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 2 zucchini (medium)
- 6 oz cream cheese
- 1 oz Parmesan Reggiano DOP
- 6 oz smoked salmon
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- 1 pinch black pepper (ground)
Tools
- Vegetable Peeler
- Pan
- Bowl
Steps
After washing and trimming the zucchini, slice them thinly lengthwise using a wide-blade vegetable peeler or a mandoline.
Heat a cast iron griddle or a non-stick pan, and when it’s hot, grill the zucchini slices for 5 minutes on each side.
Cut the salmon slices into rectangular pieces. Put the cream cheese, extra virgin olive oil, and Parmesan in a bowl, taste and season with salt and pepper. Mix with a spoon until you get a homogeneous consistency.
Lay the grilled zucchini slices on a work surface and spread a layer of cream cheese on each one. Place a slice of smoked salmon on top of the cream. Roll up the zucchini slices, starting from one end, to create a roll.
Arrange the Zucchini Rolls with cream cheese and salmon on a serving plate: you can serve them immediately or, even better, let them rest in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before enjoying them.
Stand all the rolls upright and add some pieces of smoked salmon on top.
TIPS
HOW TO GRILL THE ZUCCHINI
IN A PAN To grill the zucchini, I suggest heating a non-stick pan for grilling with just a pinch of salt on the bottom, without adding fats.
IN THE OVEN Alternatively, you can grill the zucchini in the oven: place the slices on a baking sheet with parchment paper brushed with oil and sprinkled with a pinch of salt and bake at 390°F for about ten minutes, turning them halfway through cooking.
IN THE AIR FRYER You can cook the zucchini in an air fryer at 375°F for 3 minutes
ALTERNATIVE: Alternatively, you can leave them raw, marinate them for an hour in oil, salt, and pepper (in this case, they must be so thin you can see through them) and then make the rolls, which in this case will have an even fresher and more pungent note, perfect for a summer dinner or lunch.
VARIATIONS AND ALTERNATIVES
CHEESE You can replace the cream cheese with ricotta, goat cheese, or stracchino.
VEGETARIAN If you want to serve a completely vegetarian recipe, you can replace the smoked salmon with a diced mix of fresh cherry tomatoes seasoned with oil, salt, and fresh basil.
SALMON For those who prefer deli meats instead of salmon, I recommend the combination of Bologna Mortadella, stracchino or buffalo stracciatella, and pistachio granules.
STORAGE
Grilled Zucchini and Salmon Rolls can be stored in the fridge, inside an airtight container, for up to 2 days.
