Although it's available year-round, the best time to enjoy zucchini is during the summer. When shopping for fresh zucchini at the grocery store or farmers market, choose squash that's firm, heavy for its size, and free of cuts or soft spots. The smaller the zucchini, the thinner and more tender the skin will be. Here's how to make quick sautéed zucchini, one of our favorite summer side dishes.

Tips for Making Sautéed Zucchini

Here are a few things to keep in mind when making sautéed zucchini at home.

• Be sure to thoroughly clean your zucchini before slicing it. There's no need to peel it; simply give it a good rinse under tap water. You can also eat zucchini raw if it is properly cleaned.
• Zucchini has a high water content and can easily become mushy when cooked. In the past, the technique of salting zucchini and pressing out the excess water helped zucchini retain texture during cooking. However, the Test Kitchen has found no noticeable texture difference when zucchini is salted and pressed.
• We prefer to use kosher salt because the larger granules are easier to evenly distribute over the zucchini.
• You can use plain olive oil to make this sautéed zucchini recipe, but we like to use garlic-infused oil. We'll walk you through how to cook garlic in oil to impart the most flavor.
• Cook the zucchini in a single layer so they brown rather than steaming.
• Top the sautéed zucchini with tender fresh herbs like basil, parsley, chives, or cilantro.