This week in the Fresh Harvest Summer Recipe Series, Chef Ollie is using some of the most common summer veggies for his simple but refreshing Tomato & Cucumber Salad. It’s fantastically versatile, and would be great with the addition of grilled meats, feta cheese, herbs, watermelon, peaches, croutons, and more! Tune in to the video to see how you can make this easy side and follow the recipe below for details.
Refreshing Tomato & Cucumber Salad
by Ollie Honderd
Serves 2-4
Ingredients
- 1 large heirloom tomato
- 2-3 cucumbers depending on size
- 1/4 – 1/2 red onion diced based on personal preference
- 2 lemon halves (cut through equator for juicing)
- 2 T Georgia Olive Oil
- Small handful torn mint, basil, or parsley
Preparation
- Peel, seed (optional) and cut the cucumber into bite sized chunks; cut tomatoes into similar sized chunks.
- Place cucumber and tomato in a large mixing bowl, sprinkle with salt and toss to mix
- Dice red onion—go for a yield that’s about 1/4 the volume of the cucumber/tomato mix, place in a separate bowl; sprinkle with salt and squeeze the juice of half a lemon over top, toss, let marinade 5 minutes then …
- Add onion mix to tomato/cuke mix; drizzle in olive oil, add herbs of your choice and toss. Taste. Add more salt or lemon juice to taste.
Tips**
- Salting and marinating the red onion separately mellows its bite
- Panzanella variation: add large, torn and toasted chunks of bread to soak up all the juicy goodness
- Mediterranean variation: add feta, chickpeas, garlic, and toasted cumin
- Fruity variation : eliminate the red onions, add chunks of watermelon, cantaloupe or peach with a bit of sugar for a crisp, refreshing salad
- Thai variation: add the fruit, keep the onions in, add a spicy fresh chile and season with lime juice, fish sauce, and a bit of sugar