Cucumber and Berry Salad with Urfa and Sesame | Ottolenghi

It seems like everyone in the farmers’ market has strawberries in their shopping bags or in their hands. Who can walk by the tables — brimming with boxes of jewel red berries glistening in bright summer light — and resist not grabbing a few? I got plenty of them lately and have baked strawberry scones and berry tarts. Going into a different and savory realm, cucumber and berry salad makes a lot of sense. For a light meal, the berry salad goes well with many main ingredients and complements a variety of proteins.

Don’t know why I haven’t thought of putting cucumber and strawberry together in a salad on my own. These two ingredients works harmoniously in a summer salad. They are legit! Meanwhile, the red onion, pungent in its raw form, definitely tips the scale to the savory side. For fat, the recipe calls for olive oil and sesame oil. For acidity, the lemon juice adds complexity to the salad. (Balsamic vinegar works as well.) And you can’t really call it a salad without the greens; arugula comes up with the goods. Finally, the urfa chili and the sesame seeds bring all the flavors together to a fantastic finish and color contrast.

Since mint is growing strong in my garden, I toss some in the berry salad for freshness. In most cases, fresh herbs are welcoming additions.

Summer fruits, when they’re perfectly ripe, bring so much to the table. Its color, succulence, sweetness. However, they don’t necessarily have to become a pie or tart — for a dessert. The cucumber and berry salad showcases how fruits can be equally comfortable in a salad. Besides, berries are not the only summer fruits making their way to the salad. I can see fresh peaches, pears and apricots having similar successes and hitting the mark in the savory zone.

Print Recipe

Cucumber and Berry Salad with Urfa and Sesame

By Yotam Ottolenghi – Serves: 2-4

Total Time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cucumber (250g), peeled and cut into rough chunks
• ½ small red onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced (40g net)
• 150g strawberries, hulled and halved, or quartered, if large
• 65g raspberries
• 45ml olive oil
• ¼ tsp toasted sesame oil, plus ¼ tsp extra to serve
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from 1-2 lemons)
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• Flaked sea salt
• 20g arugula
• ¼ tsp urfa chilli
• 1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted

Instructions

1

Put the cucumber, onion, berries, both oils, lemon juice, maple syrup and a teaspoon of flaked salt in a large bowl, toss gently to combine, then leave to macerate for three to five minutes.

2

Transfer the cucumber mixture to a lipped platter, leaving one tablespoon of the dressing behind in the bowl. Put the arugula in the bowl, stir to coat with the dressing, then scatter on top of the cucumber and berry salad. Sprinkle over the remaining quarter-teaspoon of sesame oil, the urfa, sesame seeds and a good pinch of flaked salt, and serve.

Notes

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/jun/17/summer-fruit-recipes-berry-salad-roast-pork-peaches-croissant-yotam-ottolenghi