What spices go with courgette
Quick answer
Black pepper, Fennel seed, Sumac, Turmeric — in roughly that order of how well established each combination is.
Each is explained below, with the cuisines it belongs to and the point at which it stops working.
Classic
Long-established in at least one cuisine — the combinations you can rely on.
Black pepper
ClassicCourgette is close to flavourless and mostly water, so what it needs is not a strong spice but a sharpening one. Pepper does that without competing, and it is why so many courgette dishes are simply courgette, oil, salt and a great deal of pepper.
How: Cracked over griddled slices; In a courgette and cheese fritter
Strong
Fennel seed
StrongA quiet vegetable takes an aromatic seed better than a forceful ground spice, and fennel gives courgette the sweetness it lacks without adding sugar. It is a southern Italian habit and it suits the griddled or fried preparations best.
How: Cracked into oil before the courgette goes in; With chilli in a courgette pasta
Add alongside: Chilli flakes, Garlic, Mint
Sumac
StrongSourness is the other thing courgette wants, and sumac supplies it dry — which matters here more than usual, because courgette is already releasing water and a wet acid makes the problem worse.
How: Scattered over griddled courgette with yoghurt; In a courgette and herb salad
Good
Turmeric
GoodCourgette is pale and bland, and turmeric addresses both at once. It appears in Indian and Persian courgette dishes, where the vegetable is a carrier rather than the point.
How: Bloomed in oil at the start of a courgette sabzi; In a mixed vegetable stew
Add alongside: Cumin, Mustard seed, Nigella
- Turmeric is easy to overdo on a mild vegetable, where its bitterness has nothing to hide behind.