Description
Mexican cucumber salsa refreshes palates with crisp, zesty flavors. Cilantro, lime, and fresh vegetables combine for a light, summery side dish you’ll enjoy alongside grilled meats or as a quick, refreshing snack.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 large english cucumber
- 1–2 jalapeños, chopped
- 1–2 shallots, finely chopped
- 1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
- 0.5 tsp (2.5 milliliters) Aleppo pepper (or red pepper flakes)
- kosher salt
- 2 limes, juiced
- extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsps (30 ml) chopped pistachios (optional)
Instructions
- Cucumber Preparation: Craft a decorative striped pattern on the cucumber by alternately peeling strips, then slice lengthwise and delicately remove seeds using a metal spoon.
- Ingredient Integration: Finely dice cucumber and combine with jalapeño, Aleppo pepper, shallot, and cilantro in a mixing bowl, creating a vibrant flavor foundation.
- Flavor Enhancement: Drizzle lime juice and extra virgin olive oil over the mixture, then sprinkle salt to elevate and balance the salsa’s taste profile.
- Textural Dimension: Gently fold in crunchy pistachios, introducing an unexpected nutty element that complements the fresh vegetable medley.
- Final Refinement: Taste and adjust seasoning, ensuring a harmonious blend of heat, acidity, and saltiness that tantalizes the palate.
- Serving Suggestion: Present the salsa as a dynamic condiment alongside roasted proteins or serve in an elegant bowl with crispy dipping companions like chips, pita, or toasted baguette slices.
Notes
- Prepare Cucumber Visually: Create decorative striped pattern by alternately peeling cucumber skin for enhanced presentation and texture.
- Seed Removal Technique: Use metal spoon to cleanly extract cucumber seeds, ensuring a crisp, clean base for salsa.
- Balance Flavor Complexity: Combine jalapeño, Aleppo pepper, shallot, and cilantro to create a multi-dimensional taste profile with subtle heat variations.
- Texture and Seasoning Harmony: Add pistachios for unexpected crunch, use lime juice and olive oil to blend ingredients, and adjust salt to elevate overall flavor depth.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Blending
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 40
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 3g
- Saturated Fat: 0.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 6g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 0mg