I stumbled across this genius cucumber salad from Alain Passard after he recently shared it online. If you’re not aware of who Alain Passard is, he’s the chef and owner of 3 star Michelin L’Arpege in Paris. His dishes are vegetable focussed and truly magic.
Cucumber, kiwi and onion may seem like a strange combination but they work surprisingly well together. They’re sliced thinly, dressed with a little good olive oil, crunchy Maldon salt and fresh basil leaves for a blast of summer flavours.
The bonus is that this salad can be made in under 10 minutes!
When to Use this Cucumber Salad
This salad screams fresh summer flavour! It’s a nice salad to make the next time you have guests over for dinner because it looks impressive but can be made pretty quickly.
It’s going to be even better if you use fresh cucumbers and basil from your garden. Because this salad is so simple, it’s really important that you use the freshest vegetables you can find.
Note: I’ve changed the recipe slightly to my preference. The original recipe calls for “lemon oil” which is delicious but too time-consuming to make at home. Instead, I’ve used really good olive oil with fresh lemon zest to get similar results.
How to Nail this Salad
- Use a Mandolin to make even slices of cucumber, kiwi and onion.
- Serve the salad immediately after cutting – Don’t cut in advance otherwise the cucumber will dry out.
- Maldon salt gives the salad an extra delicious, salty crunch.
- Soaking the onions in cold water will remove some of the harsh raw onion flavour.
Alain Passard’s Cucumber Carpaccio Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 20 slices cucumber
- 20 slices kiwi, gold
- 10 slices white onion
- ¼ pc lemon
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 10 leaves basil
- Maldon salt
- black pepper
Instructions
- Slice the onions thinly using a mandoline.
- Soak the onions in cold water for about 5 minutes.
- Clean the cutting board, and slice the cucumber and kiwi into thin slices.
- To serve, layer the kiwi and cucumber on the plate by overlapping each piece. Drizzle evenly with olive oil and season with a little Maldon salt and black pepper. Zest the lemon and squeeze a few drops of lemon juice over the plate.Drain the onions on paper towel and spread them around the plate with the fresh basil leaves. Enjoy right away.
Nutrition
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More Summer Recipes
This Super Refreshing Salmon Ceviche
Another Cucumber Salad with Miso
An Easy Summer Limoncello Cocktail
It was a hit with my family. I substituted for the Maldon Salt. I’m new to recipes so I didn’t understand what to do with the Lemon Zest after preparing it. I did squeeze some lemon juice over the plate.
Hey Marc,
That’s awesome to hear!
For the lemon zest, I just zest a little directly over the finished salad at the end to add extra lemon flavour to the dish. It’s optional though, but I hope you try it next time.
Happy Cooking!