There's Never Too Much Zucchini or Tomatoes
If there’s a perfect time to cook, it might just be the tail end of summer. I know, I say this every season but the end of summer is particularly great. The weather hasn’t completely betrayed us yet, the markets are bursting, and the grill hasn’t been relegated to the garage. Zucchini’s piling up, tomatoes are at their peak, and corn is still tender enough to eat raw. If you’re wondering what to do with all of it — just look in your freezer.
Late summer produce and seafood make a good pair — all that juicy, ripe abundance meets something lean, briny, and a little structured. If you’ve got both in your kitchen, it's really just a matter of putting them together.
So let’s start cooking.
Salmon Foil Packets with Corn, Zucchini, and Tomatoes
Foil packets are a straight-line path to dinner — no babysitting required. Lay down a bed of sliced zucchini, scatter a handful of cherry tomatoes and corn, top with a salmon fillet, and a pat of compound butter. Wrap it like a present and toss it on the grill.
Fifteen minutes later, you’ve got a full meal, perfectly steamed. The flavored butter mixes with the natural juices to make a luscious sauce. Minimal effort, maximum payoff — especially if someone else handles the dishes, which are wonderfully few.
Zucchini-Wrapped Scallop Kebabs
Good enough for guests. Fast enough for a weeknight. This one is for when you’re feeling just slightly ambitious — though if you can wield a vegetable peeler, you’ve got this covered. Shave ribbons of zucchini, wrap each one around a scallop, and thread onto skewers. Grill until golden — that’s it. The scallops stay tender, the zucchini picks up a little char, and you get to pretend you did something fancy.
Grilled Salmon Fajitas with Zucchini and Peppers
Tired of chicken or steak fajitas? Same. Grill salmon fillets with a little chipotle butter — which adds flavor and juiciness — some sliced zucchini or summer squash, bell peppers, and red onions until smoky and tender. Wrap it all in warm tortillas, add a squirt of lime juice, and a handful of cilantro. Maybe something creamy like sour cream or guacamole — you know what you like.
Seared Salmon with Succotash (this one does not suck!)
I hated succotash as a kid. Ruining good summer corn with lima beans felt like a crime. No amount of butter could sway me. But tastes change — now, nothing says summer quite like a fresh corn succotash next to a piece of crispy-skinned salmon. It’s simple: sauté onion and corn until they soften and start to brown, then toss in sugar snap peas for sweetness and crunch. You can swap in frozen peas, edamame, baby limas, or blanched green beans if that’s what you’ve got. Spoons optional, but highly recommended.
Cucumber Salads That Actually Taste Like Something
Raw cucumbers are fine, if a little forgettable. Smash them with a rolling pin or side of a chef's knife, toss with rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and chili crisp and suddenly with minimal effort and ingredients, they’ve got personality. Serve them with Sichuan-style seafood wontons for a crunchy, cooling bite.
Or go Greek: mix smashed cukes with tomatoes, onion, olive oil, lemon juice, feta and mint. Serve it with rare-grilled tuna if you want to make it a situation.
The Last Good Tomatoes — Use Them
You know the ones. So ripe they barely survive the ride home. The sturdy ones can go into a salmon skin BLT. But the ones almost past their prime can get roasted with feta and white fish to toss with pasta, or thrown into a hot skillet with olives and shrimp for a 15-minute shrimp saganaki. If not now, when?
Let the Produce Do the Work
This time of year, everything tastes better — because it is. The produce is at its peak, and the less you do to it, the better. Same goes for seafood. When the ingredients are solid, you don’t need to get clever.
So if you’ve got a fridge full of zucchini, corn, and tomatoes, and a few fillets in the freezer, it’s just a matter of putting them together — and not overcooking them!
Stay wild and keep cooking!
- Grace
As always, I’d love to hear from you. Share your summer cooking stories with me at AskGrace@sitkaseafoodmarket.com I'll write you back, promise!
