“This is an out-of-this world excellent dish!”

Yes, this reader is talking about zucchini (with roasted shrimp and za'atar yogurt, to be precise).

View in browser|nytimes.com August 19, 2024 Melissa Clark's roasted zucchini and shrimp with za'atar yogurt. Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich. A colorful, crowd-pleasing zucchini dish By Melissa Clark Hi, I'm back from vacation! After a couple of weeks of eating out for nearly every single meal, I'm particularly delighted to be here with you, writing about cooking at home. As much as I adored our scone- and fish-and-chips-rich itinerary of Welsh pubs and English bistros, I'm also relieved to be in my own kitchen and back in control of my meals (and fried food intake). Bring on the fresh vegetables! Naturally, since it's August, there's an absolute abbondanza of zucchini, or as I've had to refer to them recently, courgettes (for reasons best known to themselves, the Brits prefer the French term to the Italian). Cutting them thick and roasting at high heat not only turns them golden, it also keeps them from turning mushy, the inherent vice of zucchini dishes in every language. I like to add shrimp to the mix, as in my roasted zucchini with shrimp and za'atar yogurt, which makes it an easy, I'm-still-jetlagged dinner. The key is to add the shrimp at the very end, giving them just enough time to turn succulently pink without overcooking. The yogurt sauce brings it all together into a garlicky, herby, zucchini-y mélange. Featured Recipe Roasted Zucchini and Shrimp With Za'atar Yogurt View Recipe → Another dish that combines seasonal veggies and seafood is a classic Caribbean fish tea, worlds away from the cream teas we shared in London. You can make Ashley Lonsdale's buoyant summery version with either whole fish or fillets, which are simmered with corn and green beans in a fragrant broth of Scotch bonnet chiles, fresh ginger and allspice. Or, for a meatier partner for those summer vegetables, how about a skillet chicken with silky peppers and green olives? Add some bread to make sure no savory pan juices are left behind. Avocados aren't necessarily a summer vegetable (or a summer fruit, for that matter), but there is something summery about them. Here they star in Sandra A. Gutierrez's pasta con palta — pasta with a creamy, good-for-you avocado pesto. It's a speedy weeknight dish from Chile in which Hass avocados and walnuts are blended into a glossy, satiny sauce that's a snap to make. Serve it with a big green salad for a verdant, sustaining meal. Because it's August, it's only right to include a no-cook dish here, and of course Ali Slagle has a fantastic one. Her new recipe for prosciutto and melon salad is a twist on a minimalist antipasto, with mozzarella for creaminess and lots of arugula for a peppery bite. Serve it with breadsticks and cold frizzante and pretend you're on vacation in Italy. Ah, vacation. Finally, on to dessert. My take on summer fruit crumble is fruity, crisp and full of burbling, syrupy juice. You can make it with any ripe fruit — or frozen, too, when summer's just a humid memory. To get the crunchiest topping achievable by humankind, I pre-bake the crumbles until they're like little cookies and scatter them across the molten fruit. Add some ice cream and live your best late-summer life. As always, you'll need to subscribe to get the recipes (and we thank you if you already do). Note that if you bump into any technical problems, you can send an email to cookingcare@nytimes.com for help. And I'm at hellomelissa@nytimes.com if you want to say hi. That's all for now. I'll see you Wednesday. IN THIS NEWSLETTER Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Summer Fish Tea By Ashley Lonsdale 45 minutes Makes 4 to 6 servings David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Skillet Chicken With Silky Peppers and Green Olives By Melissa Clark 45 minutes Makes 4 to 6 servings David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Pasta con Palta (Creamy Avocado Pesto Pasta) Recipe from Sandra A. Gutierrez Adapted by Christina Morales 30 minutes Makes 4 servings Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Greg Lofts. Prosciutto and Melon Salad By Ali Slagle 15 minutes Makes 4 servings Julia Gartland for The New York Times (Photography and Styling) The Crunchiest Summer Fruit Crumble By Melissa Clark 1 3/4 hours, plus cooling Makes 8 servings Sign up for the Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter Fresh dinner ideas for busy people who want something great to eat, with NYT Cooking recipes sent to you weekly. Get it in your inbox Sign up for The Veggie newsletter Tanya Sichynsky shares the most delicious vegetarian recipes for weeknight cooking, packed lunches and dinner parties. Get it in your inbox Need help? 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