Juicy cucumbers are one of my favorite summer vegetables, and I like to slice one up and eat it with a bit of salt for an afternoon snack, but using them as a base for salads is my favorite way to eat them. We’ve been on a cucumber salad binge lately, trying different vegetable combinations and vinaigrettes, and this is by far our favorite to date. The Thai vinaigrette gets a little kick from crushed red peppers (pepper flakes), which you can adjust to your taste. Make sure you use an unseasoned rice vinegar because the seasoned kind has added sugar and salt.
CUCUMBER SALAD WITH TOMATO, BELL PEPPER, AND SPICY THAI LIME VINAIGRETTE
Serves 6 to 8.
Equipment
cruet or small jar with lid
Ingredients
2 cucumbers, peeled and julienned
12 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 red bell pepper seeded and cut into thin strips
1/2 cup shredded or julienned carrot
cilantro sprigs for garnish
VINAIGRETTE
1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh lime juice
1/4 cup (60 ml) rice vinegar (not seasoned)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons palm sugar or brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Preparation
1. Add the lime juice, rice vinegar, sugar, fish sauce, minced garlic, pepper flakes, and sea salt in a cruet or small jar with a lid. Cover and shake well.
2. Toss the cucumber, tomatoes, bell pepper strips, and carrots in a serving bowl and drizzle with some of the dressing. Top with cilantro sprigs for garnish and serve with the remaining vinaigrette on the side.
More Summer Salads
More Thai Salad Recipes From Around the Blogs
What We’re Eating – Spicy Thai Jicama Salad
Apple Pie, Patis, and Pâté – Thai Wild Mushroom Salad
The Perfect Pantry – Thai Beef Salad
Rasa Malaysia – Thai Pomelo Salad
Cucumbers are one of my favorites, too, and I can enjoy them in so many ways… gonna definitely try this combination… thanks for sharing…
Twitter: SolarChief
A cool refreshing salad for our Dog Days of Summer. It looks like it is bursting with flavor and freshness. Thanks.
That looks so good! I just ate a cucumber from my garden, but haven’t had too many yet.
Very nice flavors! I was thinking some jicama might be good in there as well.
This looks so good…I’m browsing for a salad to make for a cookout this weekend and this just might fit the bill!
This sounds awesome! I wish I had seen this recipe before the world’s largest Armenian cucumber landed in my CSA box. But odds are, there will be another one in there today!
I made this a couple weeks ago – wonderful!!! I will be making it again this week. Thanks for the yummy post!