If ever there was a salad I could eat and never get tired of eating it, this would be IT! Maybe because it has all the ingredients I love to use when I cook; maybe I like salty things to sweet things, maybe because it is spicy? Maybe all three reasons. Whatever may be the case, this easy salad is fresh, will give your palate something to remember (in a good way), and you will find yourself buying a lot of cucumbers each time you go to the grocery store.
I stumbled across this salad on Pinterest via The Food Charlatan and I immediately knew I just had to make it. When I say ‘immediately’, I mean, immediately! I carried my laptop into the kitchen and, for lack of a better word, immediately rummaged my fridge for these ingredients, threw this salad together in record time, and sat down to a salad that is now on my favorites list! That is how delicious this is!
Here is the recipe:
INGREDIENTS
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cucumbers, finely sliced
4 tablespoons minced cilantro
METHOD
Add the diced jalapeno and the garlic to a medium-sized bowl. Add the fresh lime juice, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. Use a whisk as you pour in the olive oil. Mix well and set aside.
Finely slice the cucumber. Use a mandolin if you have one. I did not, so I used my IKEA paring knife – the sharpest and one of my favorite knives at home (not a sponsored post – just sharing what I like).
Add the cucumbers to the dressing. Stir well. Add the minced cilantro and combine thoroughly. At this point, you can let it sit in the fridge to marinate for a couple of hours ( I highly recommend this to give the flavors to blend) or you can serve it immediately. Both methods are equally delicious but I personally think the fridge method gives it more zing 😉
The Food Charlatan recommends leaving the salad on the counter for a few minutes after you take it out of the fridge to let the olive oil come back to room temperature.
Such a light, refreshing, and intensely flavor- packed salad with a kick. You just gotta try it!
