Explosive. Zesty. Tart. Native. Caviar. Bushfood. Expressive words to describe the ever so trendy, yet ancient Australian finger lime. No better partner than one that lets it shine, the humble cucumber gives crunch and freshness. What a salad!
Cut 1 cucumber into diagonal cubes. This means make the first cut at a 45-degree angle to the right, then the next cut at a 45-degree angle to the left. Continue until the whole cucumber is cut.
For the 2nd cucumber, slice into ribbons. Using a wide Y peeler, peel the first layer of skin and discard. Then peel wide strips until you get to the seed. Then repeat on the other side.
Chop peanuts to yield ¼ cup
Roughly chop flat leaf parsley to yield 1 cup.
Slice ½ red onion thinly.
Cut chilli open and remove the seeds. Dice finely to yield 1 tsp.
Extract the vesicles from 2 finger limes. Just cut in half and gently squeeze the ends and the vesicles will ooze out. Discard the skin.
For the other 2 finger limes, cut in half and squeeze very gently so that only some of the vesicles comes out. Leave it as it is with the skin.
Salad Dressing
Add all the ingredients of the salad dressing together and mix until well combined.
Assembly
Mix the cucumber, peanuts, red onion, chilli, black sesame seeds and parsley into a mixing bowl. Add half the dressing and toss until well combined.
Place tossed salad onto one side of the plate.
Add droplets of dressing to the empty side of the plate and then add dollops of extracted vesicles on top.
Add the other 2 opened finger limes with the skin on, on top of the cucumber salad as a showcase of the gorgeous fruit.
Drizzle the rest of the dressing if you want more.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve immediately as the cucumber will start to water.
Video
Notes
This salad should only be assembled when you’re ready to eat. Otherwise, the cucumber will water if allowed to sit too long.
You can cut the cucumber any way you wish. Cutting it up 2 different ways is both for texture and presentation.
You can use shallots instead of red onion.
You can omit chilli if you don’t like the heat or vice versa if you do! Jalapenos would work well to instead of red chillies.
You can use white instead of black sesame seeds. Nigella seeds would work well too.
Replace soy sauce with tamari for a gluten free recipe.
If you have a peanut allergy, omit altogether or replace with drupes such as cashews, almonds or pistachios.