Pineapple cucumber salad is a refreshing and simple summer time facet dish with recent pineapple, cucumber, spicy jalapeños, cilantro, and lime. Toss every thing collectively in minutes and chill it earlier than serving.
Zesty Cucumber Salad With Pineapple
This pineapple cucumber salad appears fairly scrumptious, and even higher, it solely takes 5 substances to make. Summer season is the season for recent pineapple, jalapeño-everything, and crunchy cucumbers from the backyard. Chop and toss every thing 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 possibly can 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 right 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 wished an additional recent model that relied on simply the brightness of the lime juice for the dressing.
Components Wanted
The substances on this pineapple cucumber salad are easy, so every one counts. Seek advice from 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 exploit Persian cucumbers, however seedless English cucumbers additionally work. Should 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-compulsory, however really useful! You possibly can cut back the quantity of jalapeño for a milder salad.
- Limes – Contemporary limes, zested after which squeezed for his or her juice. I don’t suggest bottled lime juice.
- Cilantro – Should you aren’t a fan, substitute cilantro with freshly chopped parsley. Contemporary mint and even basil additionally works properly right here.
Non-compulsory Add-ins
Should you wished to jazz up this salad even additional, you may additionally add:
- Honey, whisked into the lime juice
- Olive oil for a richer dressing
- Thinly sliced pink onions
- Crumbled feta
- Purple chili flakes (when 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 might be overly candy and mushy. Select a ripe pineapple by calmly tugging on one of many leaves. If the leaf pulls free simply, the pineapple is ripe. After you have your pineapple, right here’s easy methods to minimize it:
- Trim each ends. Utilizing a pointy knife, chop off the leafy prime, then the underside finish of the pineapple.
- Minimize 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 when 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 selfmade 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 standard.
- 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 standard.
- Deseed the jalapeño peppers. The seeds are the place the warmth lives, so eradicating them takes the sting off. You possibly can substitute jalapeños with serrano or poblano peppers, if wanted.
- Make it gentle. Then again, when 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 minimize it into bite-sized chunks.
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Put together the cucumber. Peel your cucumber, then minimize 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 effectively. Style for salt and pepper, and regulate as wanted.
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Serve. Cowl and refrigerate the pineapple cucumber salad to relax for half-hour earlier than serving.
- Use recent pineapple. Don’t use canned pineapple.
- Jalapeños are spicy. If you need much less warmth, you’ll be able to take away the seeds. This may make them milder.
- In case your cucumber appears further watery, sprinkle the slices with somewhat 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 information is an estimate and offered as courtesy. Values could fluctuate based on the substances and instruments used. Please use your most popular dietary calculator for extra detailed information.
The best way to Make a Pineapple Cucumber Salad
- Put together the substances. Clear the pineapple and minimize 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 every thing 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.