This Cool Cucumber and Avocado Salad Is Perfect for Summer
When I was growing up in Minnesota, I had cucumbers every single day for lunch. While I didn’t always eat the sandwiches my mom made me (sorry, mom), I always ate my cucumbers because they were delicious. These cucumbers were nothing special, honestly, which is really a testament to the glory of this crunchy vegetable. All my mom would do is drench the cucumbers in vinegar and salt and they became the not-quite-a-quick-pickle of my dreams.
That’s why I was so excited to see these California cool cucumbers from Gaby Dalkin’s new cookbook, Everyday California Food, featured on one of my favorite vegetarian blogs, Cookie + Kate. They’re basically the adult version of my favorite childhood snack.
This recipe is so California and I’m obsessed with it. The basics of the recipe include cucumbers, garlic, avocado, balsamic vinegar, and extra-virgin olive oil. I love that Gaby uses balsamic in here instead of white wine vinegar or rice vinegar — it’ll add a richer flavor while still being tart. Gaby notes that you can add other things to the salad if you like, including arugula, cherry tomatoes, and radishes.
Kate of Cookie + Kate raves about this cucumber salad in the recipe notes. “Gaby’s cucumber salad recipe is the best cucumber salad I’ve ever had!” She also has a bunch of suggestions for the recipe, including looking for Persian cucumbers (no seeds, less water retention), and a note on overdoing the garlic (just don’t). You also don’t need to bust out the nice balsamic vinegar for this recipe — anything at your grocery store will do.
Get the recipe: Gaby’s Cucumber Salad from What’s Gaby Cooking (via Cookie + Kate)
More Delicious Cucumber Recipes from Kitchn
What’s your favorite cucumber recipe?