5 ingredients or less/ easy everyday/ Pantry essentials/ Salad/ summer/ Toss/ vegetarian

Cucumber-Avocado Salad and Summer Vegetables

The summer months are what I look forward to when cucumber and avocado are everywhere and at their seasonal peak. Perhaps you have your favorite summer ingredients: like watermelons, tomatoes or peaches? A very green cucumber-avocado salad is at hand when they are combined with fresh lemon or a light vinegar. There is nothing as simple or elegant as a green salad like this. The biggest appeal is its minimalist approach.

To punch up the favor and texture, there are a few things to play around with. This is where functionality meets creativity which makes cooking, and in this case, no-cooking so much fun. We’re basically gathering and playing up a few basic ingredients for flavoring: herbs and spices. I’m sure there is the summer garden for ideas and inspiration. Harvest some fresh chives, fennel or green onions. Slice them thinly and give them an ice bath to impart crispiness.

When it comes to spices, any red chili or peppery flakes will do. They give the cucumber-avocado salad a touch of heat. That’s all we need to make a simple green salad which goes well with about any protein main course. Besides this is a cooling salad in itself and without turning on the stove!

Make a cool and bright green salad — for a lay back summer vibe. Then add herbs from the summer garden and spice it up with a punch of heat. Bon appétit and enjoy the summer vegetables!

Print Recipe

Cucumber-Avocado Salad

Ingredients

2 scallions, trimmed then sliced crosswise ¼-inch-thick
Ice
1 pound cucumbers (such as 6 Persian or mini seedless, or 1 English)
Kosher salt
2 very ripe avocados
2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice, or unseasoned rice vinegar, plus more as needed
Red-pepper flakes or hot sauce, for serving

Instructions

Transfer the scallions to a small bowl of ice water to crisp.

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.

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.

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.

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.