Seared Garlic Zucchini

Most home zucchini dishes fail the same way. The zucchini releases water during cooking, and that water turns the pan into a steamer instead of a frying surface. Wet zucchini doesn't brown. It softens. It sags. It ends up on the plate tasting like soft green nothing.

The fix is brute force. The highest heat you can generate. A heavy cast iron or thick skillet pre-heated until smoking. Oil added and brought to the smoke point. Then the zucchini rounds go in a single layer. The heat is so high that the surface water evaporates instantly on contact, and the cut face of each round starts to brown before any more moisture can emerge.

Don't move the rounds. Sear completely undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes. If you poke or flip too early, the rounds tear because the caramelized surface hasn't set yet. Let the heat do the work. When the underside is deep golden and the surface has hardened into a crust, the rounds release cleanly and you can flip with a spatula. 1 to 2 more minutes on the second side.

Work in batches. Crowding kills this dish the same way it kills every high-heat sear. Each round needs its own contact with the hot pan. Two or three batches is typical for three medium zucchini.

The dressing is built fresh and tossed while the zucchini is still hot. Garlic, chili crisp, soy, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, all combined in a bowl. Pour over the hot rounds right in the pan. The residual heat blooms the garlic and helps the dressing soak into the caramelized surfaces, where it clings instead of sliding off.

Plate, scatter sesame seeds and scallions, and serve immediately. Cold zucchini with this dressing is still good; hot zucchini with this dressing is genuinely memorable.