Cucumber-Avocado Salad
Updated July 19, 2021
- Total Time
- 15 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2scallions, trimmed then sliced crosswise ¼-inch-thick
- Ice
- 1pound cucumbers (such as 6 Persian or mini seedless, or 1 English)
- Kosher salt
- 2very ripe avocados
- 2tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice, or unseasoned rice vinegar, plus more as needed
- Red-pepper flakes or hot sauce, for serving
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Preparation
- Step 1
Transfer the scallions to a small bowl of ice water to crisp.
- Step 2
Peel the cucumbers in alternating strips and trim ends. If desired, halve lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Cut cucumbers into bite-size pieces (thin slices, ½-inch cubes, or smashed into irregular shapes), then transfer to a colander set in the sink. Toss with 1 teaspoon salt and set aside to drain, at least 5 minutes or up to 15.
- Step 3
When you’re ready to eat, halve the avocados and remove the pits. Using a spoon, remove the flesh from the skins, then cut the flesh into ½-inch cubes. Transfer to a large bowl, add the lemon juice and season with salt. Stir to combine.
- Step 4
Shake the cucumbers in the colander to get rid of any excess moisture, then transfer to the bowl with the avocado. Drain and shake the scallions in the colander. Add the scallions to the bowl.
- Step 5
Stir the salad ingredients vigorously just until the avocado breaks down a bit. The cucumbers should be glossed with avocado but the majority of the avocado pieces should still remain cubed. Season to taste with salt, lemon and red-pepper flakes or hot sauce.
Private Notes
Comments
What does alternating strips mean?
Alternating stripes means you take your peeler, start at the head or the foot of the cucumber, peel from top to bottom in one straight line, then go back to the top, and instead of peeling a new peel right next to the old one you move a bit away, and again peel from top to bottom in one straight line Repeat until you've gone all around the cucumber once. Your final product will have alternating peeled and unpeeled stripes, a bit like a cucumber version of seersucker, but with thicker stripes.
I added a handful of mint, which I would do again. Delicious and perfect for a hot summer night!
Great. The kids were still talking about it the next day.
The purpose of salting and draining cucumber slices is to draw out some of the interior water to keep the salad from getting soggy. After a few minutes, you can drain them, then get rid of the extra salt by rinsing them off. Wrap them in a clean paper towel to soak up the extra water that’s left after rinsing. Taste before adding more salt.
A simple powerhouse.
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