Cucumbers and tomatoes are a classic pairing and can be found together in many Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes. This salad combines fresh summer vegetables with a refreshing lemon and parsley vinaigrette. The flavors in this salad are an excellent pairing for many summer meals. I suggest serving it with my Antelope Kofta or Mediterranean Bowls.
Cucumbers and tomatoes both contain a lot of water naturally. Thus, it's important to treat them correctly to make sure your salad isn't watery. Scooping out the seeds of the cucumber before dicing helps decrease the water content and leaves you with the most flavorful part of the cucumber. I also like to put the diced tomatoes in a mesh strainer and shake them over the sink to get rid of some of the juices. The seeds will naturally settle to the bottom of the strainer as well so you can scoop the diced tomatoes out without getting a bunch of seeds. Once the cucumbers and tomatoes have been prepared properly, gently toss them in the vinaigrette. Let the salad sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving to let the flavors marry. I like to store salads in Pyrex Snapware because they can be used for prep, serving, and storing leftovers.
Simple Cucumber and Tomato Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber
- 2 ripe tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped
- ½ garlic clove, minced
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp honey
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cut cucumber in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Dice into ½" pieces.
- Dice tomato into ½" pieces. Put diced tomato into mesh strainer and shake out excess liquid.
- Whisk together parsley, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, and salt and pepper.
- Pour dressing over cucumbers and tomatoes and stir gently until well coated. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving to let flavors marinate.
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