Often, all it takes is a little imagination, creativity, or quite frankly, a bit of laziness to put together familiar ingredients and come up with something quite delicious. Such was the case (laziness) with this quick, easy, tasty salad that’s good on its own or as a little something on the side with any dish.
I love pears (avocados) but there are times when you want to do more than simply slice and eat an avocado on its own, in a sandwich, or mash it to make guacamole. It is also one of those things that pairs well with cucumbers. The key is to time the dressing and serving of the salad so that one ingredient does not get overly mushy and the other does not release too much moisture to make the salad soggy.
Together, the contrast of the crisp coolness of the cucumbers combined with the creaminess of the avocado make for a rather refreshing and light mouthfeel. It is one of those things that as you eat your meal, you will constantly want to dip into, to mix it with the other things on your plate. The use of fresh lime or lemon juice, finely minced onions, hot peppers, and lots of fresh coriander round out the flavour profile of this salad. For this salad, I would recommend using the white/purple onion heads of shallots or red onions instead of white or yellow onions. These other varieties of allium are milder and sweeter, and the shallot heads bring their own flavour.
Sticking with one of my principles when it comes to food, I eat certain things only when they are locally in season. Avocados are now coming into season here and there are certain vendors I buy from whenever they are in season because the fruit comes from their trees or those of people they know, hence a certain quality is guaranteed. You know, as I typed that sentence, it occurred to me how privileged I am when shopping for my food; it is one of the benefits of shopping at fresh markets, striking up friendships and learning about where your food comes from. It is the same thing when I buy mangoes, tomatoes, celery, cilantro (coriander), lettuce and cucumbers along with several other things. I know it sounds like I am boasting, perhaps I am, but I believe it is something worth boasting about. I am sure that many of you have the same type of experience when you shop at the market for fruits, vegetables, herbs, or meats.
Getting back to the salad. There are no exact measurements, however, there are some pointers.
· Cut the avocados into large chunks (3/4 to 1-inch).
· Remove some or all of the seeds and cut the cumbers into ½ inch chunks. Peeling the cucumbers is optional.
· Thinly slice the shallot heads if using. However, if you are using red onions, mince finely.
· Mince the hot peppers finely (do not use pepper sauce here).
· Use only fresh lime or lemon juice.
· Pluck the leaves off the stems of the cilantro/coriander (the tender stems, you can give a fine mince) and add to the salad.
Note: Whatever the quantity of the avocados when cut up (I don’t measure; eyeball it), add only half of that quantity of chopped cucumbers.
Assemble the salad in the following order and use a rubber spatula (if you have one) or a plastic spoon, or some light tool that will not bruise the avocado, to toss everything together.
1. In a bowl, add the cucumbers first, followed by the avocados.
2. Scatter the onions, minced hot peppers and cilantro.
3. Squeeze fresh lime/lemon juice and sprinkle with flaked sea salt or fine table salt. If you like, add a few grinds of fresh black pepper.
4. Using the spatula/spoon, gently toss everything to mix well. Taste and adjust to suit your taste – lime/lemon juice, salt, or pepper.
5. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
There are never any leftovers when I make this salad, but if there are, store in an airtight container. Place a piece of plastic wrap/cling film directly onto the salad then cover tightly with the lid. Use up leftovers in 1 – 2 days. The salad may gently soften and develop a little moisture but will still taste lovely.
Cynthia
