Crunchy Cucumber Salad
Sunnyside Cook
A sweet and spicy salad with bright, tropical flavors perfect for summer dining
Ingredients
For the vinegar:
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 jalapeno halved and cut into pieces
For the salad:
- 1 cup diced cored fresh pineapple cut into 1/3-inch pieces
- 4 persian cucumbers cut into 1/3-inch dice (about 2 cups total)
- 1 carrot peeled and cut into thin 1-inch matchstick-size strips
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1 tablespoon finely minced seeded jalapeno
For serving:
- 4 cups of salad greens
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Instructions
For vinegar:
- Combine sugar, vinegar, water, and salt in small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and then cook over medium heat for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Transfer to large bowl and add jalapeno. Refrigerate until cold. Remove jalapeno from syrup.
For salad:
- Toast sesame seeds in dry skillet, stirring frequently, over medium heat until golden brown. Transfer to small bowl and set aside.
- Add chopped pineapple to chilled syrup and stir to coat pieces. Cover bowl and refrigerate for one hour.
- Rinse the thinly sliced red onion in a sieve under cool water. Drain.
- Add cucumber, carrot, red onion and minced jalapeno to pineapple, stirring to mix everything thoroughly.
For serving:
- Using a slotted spoon, place cucumber-pineapple mixture over salad greens and garnish with sesame seeds.
Notes
Vinegar can be made one day ahead. Salad is best chilled a bit before serving.
To reduce heat in salad, skip the addition of the jalapeno to cooling seasoned vinegar.
If using standard cucumbers with thicker skins, peel first and remove seeds before dicing. English hothouse cucumbers also work for this salad, but don't need peeling.
Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit (June 1999) httpss://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/cucumber-salad-with-pineapple-and-jalapeno-101688