Pineapple cucumber salad is a refreshing and simple summer time facet dish with recent pineapple, cucumber, spicy jalapeños, cilantro, and lime. Toss all the things collectively in minutes and chill it earlier than serving.
Zesty Cucumber Salad With Pineapple
This pineapple cucumber salad appears to be like fairly scrumptious, and even higher, it solely takes 5 substances to make. Summer time is the season for recent pineapple, jalapeño-everything, and crunchy cucumbers from the backyard. Chop and toss all the things in recent lime juice with cilantro (or mint), and also you’ll have this refreshingly tropical cucumber salad.
Make further and save these leftovers! You’ll be able to chop the substances further tremendous to make a recent pineapple cucumber salsa to serve with tortilla chips, or spoon it over fish tacos or grilled salmon.
Why This Pineapple Cucumber Salad Is the Finest Facet Salad
- Shiny and crunchy. The distinction of sweetness, tang, and crunch places a recent spin on basic cucumber salad.
- Make it year-round. This crisp and juicy pineapple cucumber salad is the proper facet dish for grilled dishes, Tex-Mex meals, and picnics.
- Solely 5 substances. Different variations of this salad name for substances like honey, however I needed an additional recent model that relied on simply the brightness of the lime juice for the dressing.
Substances Wanted
The substances on this pineapple cucumber salad are easy, so every one counts. Consult with the recipe card for the precise recipe quantities.
- Pineapple – This recipe requires recent pineapple, and never canned. Canned pineapple is simply too candy and fewer crisp than recent.
- Cucumber – I take advantage of Persian cucumbers, however seedless English cucumbers additionally work. In case you’re not utilizing natural cucumbers, peel them and discard the skins.
- Jalapeño – Eradicating the seeds from the recent jalapeño peppers helps tame the warmth. Thinly slice the peppers afterward. I at all times put on gloves when dealing with chili peppers, which is non-obligatory, however beneficial! You’ll be able to scale back the quantity of jalapeño for a milder salad.
- Limes – Contemporary limes, zested after which squeezed for his or her juice. I don’t advocate bottled lime juice.
- Cilantro – In case you aren’t a fan, substitute cilantro with freshly chopped parsley. Contemporary mint and even basil additionally works properly right here.
Optionally available Add-ins
In case you needed to jazz up this salad even additional, you would additionally add:
- Honey, whisked into the lime juice
- Olive oil for a richer dressing
- Thinly sliced pink onions
- Crumbled feta
- Purple chili flakes (in case you actually prefer it sizzling!)
- Tajin seasoning
Selecting and Slicing a Contemporary Pineapple for This Salad
Please, of us, use recent pineapple for this cucumber salad. Do NOT use canned, crushed, or in any other case, or your salad will likely be overly candy and mushy. Select a ripe pineapple by flippantly tugging on one of many leaves. If the leaf pulls free simply, the pineapple is ripe. After you have your pineapple, right here’s the best way to lower it:
- Trim each ends. Utilizing a pointy knife, chop off the leafy prime, then the underside finish of the pineapple.
- Lower away the pores and skin. Subsequent, stand the pineapple upright. Fastidiously trim away the tough outer skins on all sides.
- Chop the pineapple. Lastly, slice the pineapple into quarters, and trim the robust, whitish core from each bit. Chop the remainder of the pineapple into bite-sized items.
You can even purchase pre-cut pineapple from the shop in case you don’t really feel like trimming it your self. Simply, once more, something however canned.
Ideas for Making This Salad
- Zest first, then juice. It’s a lot simpler to zest the limes earlier than you juice them. Use a microplane or the small holes of the field grater.
- Zhoug it up. My shortcut at any time when I’ve it within the fridge is to stir 1-2 tablespoons of home made zhoug sauce into the pineapple and cucumber. This spicy sauce already incorporates jalapeño and cilantro, so I’ll simply squeeze in some recent lime, toss, and chill the salad as traditional.
- Drain the cucumber. In case your cucumber is very watery, toss the slices with salt. Go away them to relaxation for five minutes to attract out extra water, then drain and add the cucumber to the salad as traditional.
- Deseed the jalapeño peppers. The seeds are the place the warmth lives, so eradicating them takes the sting off. You’ll be able to substitute jalapeños with serrano or poblano peppers, if wanted.
- Make it gentle. Then again, in case you’re delicate to spice, I’d counsel skipping the chili peppers altogether and utilizing candy yellow or pink bell peppers as a substitute.
What to Serve With Pineapple Cucumber Salad
Pair this spicy cucumber salad with a pineapple margarita and any of the next straightforward meal concepts.
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Put together the pineapple. Clear and peel the pineapple, and lower it into bite-sized chunks.
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Put together the cucumber. Peel your cucumber, then lower it into half moons.
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Mix and season the salad. Mix the chopped pineapple and cucumber slices in a big bowl. Add lime juice, lime zest, jalapeños, salt, pepper, and cilantro. Toss the salad to mix properly. Style for salt and pepper, and alter as wanted.
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Serve. Cowl and refrigerate the pineapple cucumber salad to sit back for half-hour earlier than serving.
- Use recent pineapple. Don’t use canned pineapple.
- Jalapeños are spicy. If you’d like much less warmth, you possibly can take away the seeds. This can make them milder.
- In case your cucumber appears further watery, sprinkle the slices with slightly salt and allow them to sit for five minutes. The salt will draw out extra moisture. Pat the cucumber slices dry with paper towels earlier than including them to the salad.
Energy: 86kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 1g | Fats: 0.3g | Saturated Fats: 0.03g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fats: 0.03g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 230mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 214IU | Vitamin C: 85mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg
Dietary data is an estimate and offered as courtesy. Values could fluctuate in accordance with the substances and instruments used. Please use your most popular dietary calculator for extra detailed data.
Make a Pineapple Cucumber Salad
- Put together the substances. Clear the pineapple and lower it into bite-sized chunks. In the meantime, slice the cucumber into half moons. Add each to a big bowl.
- Season the salad. Subsequent, squeeze the lime juice over the cucumber and pineapple. Add the lime zest, sliced jalapeños, cilantro, and season with salt and pepper. Toss all the things collectively so it’s well-combined.
- Chill. Place the salad into the fridge for half-hour earlier than serving.
Storing Leftovers
Retailer this pineapple and cucumber salad within the fridge for as much as 3 days. Stir it gently earlier than serving to redistribute the dressing.
