Zesty Italian Cucumber Salad Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep cucumbers crisp in cucumber salad? ›

Just place the slices or chunks in a colander over a bowl or sink. Sprinkle them with a couple of pinches of salt, toss to coat, and let them rest for about 30 minutes. Pat them dry with a paper towel and proceed with the recipe.

However, cucumber too has a property that interferes with the absorption of Vitamin C. Thus, most of the times, the combination of cucumber and tomato is advised to be avoided.

Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Pour the cumin oil into a large bowl and add the shallot, lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cool slightly. Add the tomatoes, cucumber and cilantro and serve immediately.

If you have a cucumber that's too bitter to eat, compost it. But, if the bitterness has concentrated near the stem and in the skin (where it's most likely to settle), peel the cucumber and slice off an inch or two near the stem. Many people sprinkle on salt or sugar to balance out the bitter taste.

Recipe FAQs

Adding salt to sliced cucumbers draws out the extra moisture in the vegetable, through a process called osmosis. Over time, the salt absorbs the water from the cucumber. What you're left with is a slightly drier cucumber with a more concentrated flavor (that won't make your salad watery).

No matter how you dress them, salting and draining sliced cucumbers maximizes crunchy texture.

The actual cause of bitterness in cucumbers and other gourds, like zucchini, is due to a compound known as cucurbitacin. This compound is always present in cucumbers, but the levels change based on the growing process of the vegetables. The higher the level of cucurbitacin, the more bitter the cucumber.

Tips for Storing Cucumbers:

Ensure that the cucumbers are stored away from ethylene-producing fruits like tomatoes, apples, and bananas. Ethylene can cause cucumbers to ripen and spoil more quickly. Avoid placing cucumbers near foods with strong odors as they absorb odors easily.

Additionally, they both have a completely different way of digestion, so this combination must be avoided as it can lead to stomach upset." We frequently blend vegetables while creating salads, soups, stews, sabzi, or curries, yet every item digests at a different rate.

According to experts, eating a large amount of cucumber makes the stomach feel full and satisfied. However, they should be avoided at night as consuming too much can cause bloating and sleep disturbances.

Why must you not eat raw cucumber with meals? ›

“I don't prefer consuming raw cucumber with cooked meals. Neither do I recommend it for my patients, even if they are looking for weight loss,” she said in the video. Explaining the reason, she said when raw and uncooked cucumbers are combined with cooked meals it leads to a delay in digestion.

She spent the day sharing pieces of her life, including a few of her favorite meals. For lunch, she had what is now known as the Jennifer Aniston salad: bulgur wheat, cucumber, herbs, chickpeas, feta, red onion, and pistachios.

Raw cucumber (with peel) is 95% water, 4% carbohydrates, 1% protein, and contains negligible fat. A 100-gram (3+1⁄2-ounce) reference serving provides 65 kilojoules (16 kilocalories) of food energy. It has a low content of micronutrients: it is notable only for vitamin K, at 16% of the Daily Value (table).

Spices: Cucumbers pair well with spices such as black pepper, cumin, and coriander. Fruits: Cucumbers pair well with fruits such as tomatoes, watermelon, and berries. Meats: Cucumbers pair well with meats such as chicken, salmon, and tuna. Seafood: Cucumbers pair well with seafood such as shrimp, crab, and oysters.

Long English Cucumber

Long English Cucumbers have a good crunch with thin, delicate skin that's easy to digest. The best part: you don't even need to peel them—just slice 'em up and eat them as the perfect quick snack. This type of Cucumber is great in salads as well as a ton of other things, too!

In addition to containing several vitamins and nutrients essential to your diet, one cup of cucumber provides 11% of your daily requirement for vitamin K, essential in building healthy bones. Cucumbers also contain lignans, which research shows may decrease the risk of heart disease as well as several types of cancer.