Zucchini Caviar
The whole job here is driving off water. Zucchini is two thirds water, and rushing leaves you with a thin, sour spread. Ninety minutes over low heat and the mixture thickens on its own to the point where a spoon stands up in it.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 1 h 30 min
- Total
- 2 h 10 min
- Servings
- 16
- Level
- Medium
- Per serving
- 95 kcal
Ingredients
Makes: 4 jars, 500 ml each
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
-
Step 1: Prepare the vegetables
Peel the zucchini, scoop out any large seeds and cut into cubes. Chop the carrots and onions in a blender or food processor, far quicker for this quantity. No machine? Grate the carrots coarsely and chop the onions finely.
-
Step 2: Fry onion and carrot
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot and fry the onion and carrot for 10 minutes, until the carrot softens.
-
Step 3: Add the zucchini
Add the zucchini, stir and braise covered for 30 minutes. It will release a lot of liquid — that is expected.
-
Step 4: Cook it down
Take off the lid and cook for another 40 minutes over low heat, stirring. The mixture should thicken noticeably and shrink.
-
Step 5: Blend
Blitz with a stick blender to the texture you like, from coarse to smooth.
-
Step 6: Season and finish
Add the tomato paste, salt, sugar and pepper and cook for 20 minutes more. Stir in the vinegar 2 minutes before the end.
-
Step 7: Seal the jars
Ladle the hot caviar into clean jars, let it cool and refrigerate straight away. Do not seal it for the pantry: zucchini, carrot and onion are all low-acid, and two spoons of vinegar across three kilos of vegetables will not make them safe at room temperature.
Tips & variations
-
Tip
Use a heavy pot: a thin one scorches exactly when the mixture starts to thicken.
-
Tip
Young zucchini need no peeling — the skin is thin and disappears into the purée.
-
Variation
Add two sweet peppers along with the zucchini for a sweeter, brighter spread.
-
Storage
Two weeks in the fridge, six months in the freezer — freeze it in portions, the taste and texture survive. Keeping it in a pantry would take a pressure canner: a boiling-water bath never heats the middle of a jar of purée.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 16 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 95 kcal | 1,520 kcal |
| Protein | 2 g | 32 g |
| Fat | 6 g | 96 g |
| Carbohydrates | 9 g | 144 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
Cooked it? Rate the recipe
5.0 out of 5 · 2 ratings
Reviews and questions 1
Write a review or askI made zucchini caviar using this recipe, and it turned out so delicate and delicious. The steps were really clear and easy to follow.I personally love bolder, spicier flavors, so I adjusted the seasoning to my taste and added a little kick. Now I could literally eat it by the spoonful so good! 😋
