Grilled Zucchini with Herb Butter

Grilled zucchini with herb butter is one of those recipes that is embarrassingly simple yet consistently impresses anyone you serve it to. The entire cooking process takes about 6 minutes, and the compound herb butter elevates the dish from a basic side to something with real depth and elegance. Zucchini is naturally mild in flavor, which makes it an excellent canvas for the garlicky, herbaceous butter. The key to great grilled zucchini is getting proper char without overcooking the interior to mush. Cutting the zucchini into lengthwise planks rather than rounds gives you the maximum flat surface for contact with the grill grates. This means bigger, more defined grill marks and better caramelization. Rounds are tempting because they are easier to cut, but they tend to slide around on the grill and develop uneven char. The herb butter compound is a technique borrowed from steakhouse cooking. Mixing aromatics into softened butter creates a concentrated flavor bomb that melts slowly over the hot zucchini, coating every surface with garlic, herbs, and citrus. You can make the herb butter ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator for up to a week, which makes this recipe even more weeknight-friendly. Timing matters with zucchini. Two minutes too long on the grill and it goes from perfectly tender-crisp to limp and watery. Watch for the visual cues: well-defined grill marks on the surface and the slightest translucency at the edges mean it is time to pull it off.