During these summer months, I am always keen to make fresh little salads to use as starters or side dishes. These go down a treat with meat and/or fish and they are perfect for picnics and/or barbecues. Last week, when I was in France, a friend of my dad made us a delicious cucumber salad, which transported me right back to my childhood. I was pleasantly surprise to see my toddler boys devouring it so I thought it was a must share with you too!

When you take a spoonful of this cucumber salad, you first enjoy the light creaminess of it but then as your teeth get into the cucumber you get the crunch… yummm… In a unique way it feels both indulgent and refreshing, which makes it designed for summer days.

Salting the cucumbers releases extra moisture and prevent your dressing from becoming too watering. Somehow it as well substantially enhances the taste of the cucumber itself.

My mum was making an even healthier version of this cucumber salad as she would not add any crème fraîche. She would simply follow the salting process and season with chives. She would not even bother to cut the cucumbers sideways and scoop out the seeds. She would just peel them and slice them thinly. It was delicious too so… your call :-) I’m simply alternating both recipes!

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Salade de concombre SQ

Salade de concombre - cucumber salad -

Course: Salad
Cuisine: French
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4 people

In a unique way this cucumber salad feels both indulgent and refreshing. It is designed for summer days.

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Ingredients

  • 2 cucumbers
  • 2 tsp cooking salt
  • 2 tbsp crème fraîche half fat
  • chives about 10 leaves
  • pepper optional

Instructions

  1. Wash the cucumbers and chop off the edges. Peel the cucumbers and cut them in half length-way.
  2. With a teaspoon, gently scoop out the seeds and discard them. Chop the cucumbers into thin slices and place into a mixing bowl. Add the cooking salt and leave to rest for at least 20 minutes.
  3. Rinse the cucumbers and gently squeeze out excess water from them. Place into your serving bowl.
  4. Wash and snip the chives with scissors over the cucumbers. Add the crème fraiche and season to taste with pepper. Mix thoroughly. Refrigerate until serving.

Other side salads recipes:

I am taking this opportunity to link to two great blogging events I have discovered lately:

  • No Crouton Required, a blogging event listing vegetarian soup and salad recipes co-hosted by Jacqueline from Tinned Tomatoes, and Lisa from Lisa’s Kitchen
  • Eat Your Greens, a food blogging challenge intended at making us eat more green vegetables, hosted by Shaheen from A2K – A Seasonal Veg Table