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Crunchy, Creamy Cucumber-Avocado Salad

by:
April  4, 2013
4.4
13 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Prep time 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Cook time 30 minutes
  • Serves 4 (side)
Author Notes

This salad is amazingly smooth and refreshing. You will feel clean after so much green, yet satisfied. The feta and avocado impart a velvety, almost buttery, texture. But, just before your palate gets too comfortable, the crunch of the cucumber reminds you that this salad has some character and won't give up without a fight! Finally, the sour lime and the crisp mint cut through it and provide unity.
It's like an explosion of textures and flavors in the mouth, working a little like a cocktail, with flavors layered on top of one another. This is what I call summertime comfort food. —Bee @ deuxdilettantes

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Ingredients
  • 2 large cucumbers
  • 1 pinch Salt
  • 2 ripe avocados
  • 1/2 cup chopped mint
  • 1/2 lime
  • 4 ounces feta cheese, diced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 pinch pepper to taste (or lemon pepper)
Directions
  1. Peel the cucumbers, cut them in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a teaspoon. Cut cucumbers into 1/2-inch pieces and put in a colander. Generously sprinkle with salt and let sit in the sink for 30 minutes to drain. This will prevent your salad from getting watery. Quickly rinse and blot dry with paper towel.
  2. While cucumbers are draining, dice the avocados into 1/2-inch pieces and put into a salad bowl. Drizzle with lime juice and toss gently.
  3. Wash and coarsely chop the mint. Chop the lime zest.
  4. In a bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons lime juice and lime zest to make dressing.
  5. Add drained cucumbers, mint, feta cheese and dressing to the avocados and gently combine. Add pepper (or lemon pepper) to taste. Cover and let stand in refrigerator for about 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
  6. If you feel like impressing your guests (or just having a fancy meal), try to make domes using a ring mold. Fill the ring mold with the salad, and then remove the mold. It's a great way to structure your food and enhance the presentation of your plate!
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23 Reviews

Write a Review
Rebecca H. July 8, 2020
Mine turned out really salty. I thought I rinsed the cumbers really well but still they were crazy salty. Thoughts??
Benita H. July 9, 2020
A couple possibilities:
-Did you quickly rinse the cucumbers after the period where you salt them?
-Or perhaps your feta is particularly salty?
Vfscotti July 3, 2020
Great combination of flavors and goes perfect with a spicy dish. If planning on leftover, add avocados as needed for each serving.
ghainskom December 9, 2015
My 8yo doesn't like feta cheese. Silly kid... Other than that, we liked it. I especially like the lime zest and juice in the sauce...
Ann M. June 26, 2015
This was a huge hit at our family BBQ! I added a small amount of red onion diced for a little extra kick. Thanks for sharing!
QueenSashy June 19, 2015
This is a lovely salad. Refreshing, with a nice crunch and so many flavors that go for it. (I especially like that touch of mint.) I made the salad several times in the last month because it is such a great companion to meats, fish, chicken, or a slice of warm bread. Served it on a toast once for brunch and everyone loved it… An absolute keeper.
Benita H. May 25, 2015
Brought this to a BBQ and it was a major hit...Thanks. I decided to call it "mojito guacamole"
Nanda D. March 14, 2015
Yup, very nice! i added some very thinly sliced onions, to add a bit more bite :)
I_Fortuna March 14, 2015
For those who love the flavor but don't like the bite or digestive upset, blanch sliced onions in boiling water for a few seconds before adding them to hummus or salads.
Jayeno October 5, 2014
I eat Kirby or Persian cucumbers. I do this because once cut regular cucumbers get infirm. The Smaller cucumbers retain there integrity. So for this recipe I skip the removal of seeds, draining of the cucumbers and go directly to slicing.

I love mint, always have on hand. Use it for water. Added a little extra. Recipe was wonderful.
robin L. September 14, 2014
I am not a fan of mint myself, dancerslikefood! But I was so pleasantly surprised: the flavors all went so well together, i.e. the mint wasn't distracting at all (it just added a little 'something').
dancerslikefood September 14, 2014
I am not a fan of mint - any thoughts on using dill instead?
I_Fortuna July 30, 2014
I use a Japanese pickle press (inexpensive) in order to draw the excess water out of the cucumbers. This also makes for crispier, crunchier cucumbers. The cucumbers prepared this way also last longer in the fridge.
The cucumber slices (seeded as instructed) are generously salted and put under pressure by screwing down the device in the pickle press, letting it sit at least half an hour , rinsing the slices and continuing as stated in the recipe.
I top mine with a tahini or hummus dressing, blanched onions marinated in beet juice, and add chopped tomatoes. I like the needed color the tomatoes and onions offer.
robin L. June 23, 2014
DELICIOUS!!!
hookmountaingrowers July 21, 2013
This was OK, decent but probably won't repeat. Got quite liquidy the next day so would recommend eating right away.
I_Fortuna March 14, 2015
In order to avoid this watery problem, see my previous post. Also, Bee has a note on this in the recipe directions. Cucumbers prepared with a press come out crisp and crunchy with most of the water removed. Rinsing removes excess salt. Also, removing the seeds helps.
This really is a recipe best not put in the fridge overnight but the liquid can always be poured off.
food52fan May 18, 2013
Hi Adam, When I made the salad it lasted about 3 days. The avocado stayed nice and green due to the lime bath! The avocados I used were pretty ripe, too. I stored the leftover salad in a tightly sealed container so maybe that helped everything stay fresh, I can't wait to make it again!
Adam H. May 18, 2013
how long will the salad last in the fridge? I'm thinking the av0cado gives it a very short life.
food52fan May 9, 2013
Just made this refreshing salad to accompany the sweet potato Chana masala recipe here on Food52! What a nice combo, as the mildly spicy masala was offset by the coolness of the salad. I used a microplane grater for the lime zest. We toasted some naan and added a little of the extra mint to iced tea. Wonderful meal that will be a new staple in my kitchen! I doubled the recipe so leftovers are on the menu for tomorrow. Thank you, Food52!
Stacey S. May 6, 2013
Just made this salad, very nice and refreshing.
bgavin May 5, 2013
How do you chop lime zest? Isn't zest harvested by means of a grater or micro plane?
I_Fortuna March 14, 2015
Good question. Zest is actually that part of a citrus peel minus the pith (white part of the peel).
"For culinary use, a zester, grater, vegetable peeler, paring knife, or even a surform tool is used to scrape or cut zest from the fruit. Alternatively, the peel is sliced, then excess pith cut away."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zest_%28ingredient%29
Wanted to reference my source.
Zest can be sliced for pickling, use in relishes, baked goods marmalades and as a twist in certain cocktails. Usually the pith is cut off because it can be bitter, but there is good nutrition in it. : )
EmilyC April 30, 2013
This is my new favorite salad -- thanks so much for the recipe. I skipped the steps of salting the cucumber and letting the salad stand for 30 minutes; it didn't suffer a bit (though those steps would make it even better, I'm sure). It went from kitchen to table in about 5 minutes. Love havings gems like this for the weeknight rotation!