A courgette looks simple enough to buy: green, long, and usually inexpensive. Yet freshness makes a big difference. Young courgettes can be tender enough to slice into a salad, while tired oversized ones may have a tougher rind, larger seeds and a spongier middle.
In American recipes the same vegetable is called zucchini. If you are shopping in the UK, look for courgettes with firm bodies, glossy unbroken skin and a relatively fresh-looking stem. Forget the idea that the biggest one is automatically the best value.
Choose size according to the recipe
For everyday frying, grilling or roasting, medium courgettes are easy to work with because the flesh tends to be evenly textured. Small courgettes can be especially tender and are useful for quick cooking or raw ribbons.
A giant courgette may be closer to a marrow in texture. It can still be cooked, stuffed or used in baking, but may contain larger seeds and a wetter centre.
There is no universal ideal length. Varieties differ, and growers harvest at different stages. Choose a size suited to what you are cooking rather than treating one measurement as a quality certificate.
Look for a firm, glossy rind
The skin should be relatively smooth or naturally patterned for the variety, with no deep cuts or collapsed sections. Healthy courgettes commonly have a glossy surface, though waxes and cultivar differences can change the finish.
UC Davis postharvest guidance identifies firmness, glossy skin, tenderness and an intact trimmed stem as important summer-squash quality traits. This matters more than finding a mathematically straight specimen.
A few faint surface scratches may be harmless. Avoid soft dark bruises, leaking cracks and patches of mould. Inspect the underside where courgettes may have rubbed against the display.
The gentle pressure test
Hold a courgette along its length. It should feel solid and resist gentle pressure. A limp, bendy body or a soft hollow patch points to moisture loss or damage.
Do not press with fingernails. The skin is comparatively thin and easily marked. The aim is to assess freshness without ruining the vegetable for the next customer.
A firm fruit is not necessarily tough. Young courgettes are harvested before their seeds become large and hard, so freshness and harvest maturity matter more than how much pressure you can apply.
Look at the stem end
A short, intact stalk is a useful sign of proper harvesting and handling. It should not be wet, mouldy or rotting. A cleanly trimmed stem is perfectly normal.
Some courgettes are sold with their flowers attached. The flowers are delicate and perishable; if buying them for stuffing, use them promptly and handle them with particular care.
A dry stalk by itself does not tell you how long a courgette has been in the shop, but if it comes with shrivelled skin and soft flesh, select a fresher example.
Green is not the only correct colour
Courgettes can be dark green, pale green, striped or yellow depending on variety. A yellow courgette is not necessarily a green one that has become overripe.
Look at the label and the pattern across the fruit. On a dark green variety, extensive yellowing can indicate ageing; on an intentionally yellow variety, it is normal.
Uniform skin and fresh texture are better universal clues than a particular shade of green. Mixed-variety packs can be good for colour in a roasted vegetable tray without meaningfully changing the preparation.
Avoid oversized, seedy courgettes for quick dishes
A very large courgette may need its central seed area scooped out, particularly if making stuffed boats or a stew. It is not necessarily unsafe, but the texture will be different.
For thin raw slices, small firm courgettes are generally the more pleasant choice. For grated baking recipes, larger sound courgettes can be useful, though excess moisture may need squeezing out.
If you are growing them, check plants frequently in warm weather. Courgettes can expand rapidly, and regular picking keeps the fruits at a convenient cooking size.
How to store courgettes at home
Courgettes are perishable and should be used while fresh. At home, the vegetable drawer is a common short-term storage place, but prolonged very cold conditions can lead to quality problems.
UC Davis notes that summer squash can suffer chilling injury after extended exposure below about 5°C. A household fridge may fluctuate, so the practical lesson is not to forget courgettes in the coldest corner for weeks.
Keep them reasonably dry before storage and away from crushing produce. Wash them when you are ready to cook, then dry if roasting or frying.
Why courgettes turn watery in the pan
Courgettes contain a lot of water. If you pile too many slices into a small pan, the temperature drops and released moisture collects. You get steaming instead of browning.
Use a wide hot pan, work in batches and cut pieces to similar thickness. Add salt thoughtfully; salting in advance can draw water out, which is useful in some recipes but unnecessary in others.
For oven cooking, spread pieces on a tray and avoid thick pools of oil. Thin slices cook quickly, while larger chunks need longer to soften all the way through.
How to prepare them safely
Rinse the skin under running water before slicing. The skin and small soft seeds are normally edible, so there is no need to peel a fresh courgette unless the recipe asks for it.
Trim the ends and cut according to the cooking method. If using a grater or mandoline, keep your fingers clear and use a safety guard where provided.
One important precaution applies especially to home-grown squash: if a courgette tastes distinctly and unusually bitter, stop eating it and discard it. Bitter cucurbitacins can cause illness and are not made safe by cooking. Do not taste a large amount to test it.
Choose the right courgette in the shop
For all-round cooking, take a medium-sized, firm courgette with glossy intact skin, no soft bruises and a sound stalk. Buy smaller ones for quick slices and raw ribbons, or larger sound ones if a recipe specifically suits them.
Courgettes are not supposed to be glamorous. A fresh one chosen carefully is more useful than a huge bargain that leaves you cutting away half the centre.