Refreshing Cucumber Salad w Tahini Dressing

The perfect spring salad

Cucumbers are inexpensive, refreshing, and craveworthy when prepared correctly. What a combination! Unfortunately, they are typically relegated to a salad garnish. This dish makes cucumber the star of the show.

The trick when making a memorable cucumber salad is to pre-salt and purge the cucumbers of their bitter juice, then refill the empty cell pockets with a zippy citrus-packed dressing. Finish the salad with some aromatics and umami and you’ve got a winner.

Notes: I like to use Persian cucumbers for this salad because they are thin-skinned, smaller, and don’t have substantial seeds. This means you get more cucumber flavor, bite, and crispness without the waxy exterior or bitterness. If you can’t find Persian cucumbers, English cucumbers are a fine substitute, although I like to peel them if using larger ones.

Shopping list (exact ingredient portions below):

Persian Cucumbers

fresh dill

fresh garlic cloves

red onion

tahini paste

fresh lemon

fresh orange

fresh chives

sugar

sea salt (or kosher salt)

Seaweed Gomasio (if you can’t find, sub with toasted white sesame seeds and sea salt)

Recipe/Steps:

3 lbs Persian cucumbers sliced in half and quartered

1/2 cup salt

Slice the cucumbers into quarters then toss with the salt and allow the liquid to release for 20-30 minutes.

While the cucumbers are “salting” make the rest of your dressing.

1 lemon zested and juiced

1 orange zested and juiced

3 tablespoon freshly chopped dill

3 tablespoon freshly sliced chives

3 garlic cloves minced

1/2 red onion thinly sliced

1/2 cup tahini paste

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup gomasio (seaweed/sesame mixture)

Mix all the ingredients into a bowl

Once the cucumbers have released their liquid (see below), strain and rinse them.

Toss the rinsed cucumbers in the dressing - top with the Gomasio and a touch of fresh chives. Serve and enjoy!

Note: this dish gets better after it marinates in the dressing. If you can make a day ahead, it will be even better!