Thai Cucumber Ribbon Salad with Peanuts
Jazz up those summer cucumbers with this Thai-flavored cucumber salad that's sweet, sour, spicy and crunchy.
A few months ago, I caved and finally bought a spiralizer (this Paderno spiralizer [affiliate link] that now I can't live without.)
I held out for a long time thinking that a) I really really DID NOT need another kitchen gadget and b) I would never be replacing my beloved pasta with vegetable noodles.
Well, turns out I'm using this thing at least weekly (now even more thanks to my CSA share glut of summer veggies) and I've actually been enjoying mixing zoodles with my linguini, sauteing ribbons of summer squash with garlic and tomatoes and serving spiralized baked potato fries when grilling out.
So, with my new kitchen tool in full swing, I was ready for this month's Recipe ReDux theme:
Get Your Fruits and Veggies in Shape: With produce galore, now’s a great time to enjoy lots of fruits and vegetables. Show us how you’re serving the bounty of gardens and orchards in shapes like ribbons, noodles, cut-outs, or other creative cuts.
I first thought I'd just change the cut on these Sesame Ginger-Pickled Cucumbers - making them into ribbons and calling them an Asian Cucumber Salad.
But then I decided to get out the fish sauce and go step further.
Now, if fish sauce is not in your pantry because a) you've never heard of it or b) you're turned off by the smell, I'm now going to try to persuade you to buy a bottle.
Fish sauce is the liquid from fermented fish with salt added to it. It's an essential ingredient in many Asian cultures. Despite its rather pungent fishy smell (I keep it wrapped in double plastic bags in my basement pantry), it provides a wonderful umami or savory flavor to so many dishes - remarkably without a fishy taste (unless you add way too much.)
[bctt tweet="Jazz up those cukes w. this Thai Cucumber Ribbon Salad @tspbasil #therecipredux" username=""]
Besides using it for Thai or Vietnamese dishes, here are two posts that give some excellent ideas on using fish sauce:
5 Unexpected Ways to Use Fish Sauce via The Kitchn (in guacamole!)
15 Ways To Use Fish Sauce in Non-Asian Cooking via @Bon Appetit
I love this salad because it comes together so quickly and it's a nice change from your basic leafy green salad you might serving at a cookout or barbecue party. You could swap in zucchini or summer squash if you cut them very thinly.
Print
Thai Cucumber Ribbon Salad with Peanuts
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Jazz up those summer cucumbers with this Thai-flavored cucumber salad that's sweet, sour, spicy and crunchy.
Ingredients
- 3 large cucumbers, peeled
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Juice from 1 lime
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup chopped peanuts
Instructions
- Cut cucumbers into ribbons using a spiralizer or a vegetable peeler. Place in a colander and drain for 15 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together fish sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic, lime juice and crushed red pepper.
- Place cucumbers in a serving bowl and toss with sauce. (At this point you can refrigerator until ready to serve.)
- Before serving, toss with cilantro and top with peanuts.
Do you own a spiralizer? What's your favorite way to cut up summer veggies? Do you have fish sauce in your pantry?
Check out all the different ways you can cut and serve your summer veggies in these recipe ideas from fellow ReDuxers below:
why have I never spiralized cucumber!? This thai salad sounds so good!
This was a first time for me too - it worked great!
Yum, I could eat on that salad all day long!
The day I made it, I pretty much did 🙂
This is awesome! I have a ton of cucumbers growing in my garden and I am trying to figure out how to use them all. This looks like a perfect dish to add to the collection. Yummy!
Oooh I am envious of your garden....
Yum! This is so calling my name. I still haven't purchased a full-out spiralizer, I'm making do with my hand-held version. While it works just fine, I would really love the counter-top version some day (when we have more space!). Also, I totally agree with you on fish sauce. It's bizarre how pungent the odor is, yet delicious it is when added to the right dishes.
Yes, you should "splurge" at some point when you have more counter space - you'll get there 🙂
Whoever invented the veggie ribbon maker..... I SALUTE YOU! haha!
Right??
We had the same spiralizing journey! 😉 This looks amazing-- I can't resist Thai flavors.
I love Thai salads - this sounds so refreshing and I love the ribbons you made out of cucumbers.
Thanks Jeanette! Speaking of Asian flavor, I made another batch of your stir fry sauce this past week - I'm hooked 🙂
You definitely jazzed up these cukes! This looks so light, fresh and flavorful 🙂
Thanks Sonali!
What a great combination of flavors to pair with cucumber. Sounds so refreshing yet savory. Can't wait to try!
Thanks much Lauren!
This looks so beautifully refreshing. Somehow I never think to do fancy things with cucumber, but this is just the recipe to change that.
It was so refreshing - I never seem to do anything fancy with cucumbers besides running a fork down their sides to make little grooves when you cut them. That is until this recipe!
When I bought my spiralizer .. my bf was like you seriously bought ANOTHER kitchen gadget?! It was well worth it! Now I have another recipe to make with it!
My parents always diluted fish sauce with water and sugar, so it was always less pungent than the one straight from the bottle. Now that I'm a vegetarian, no more fish sauce. I'm thinking it'll be just as good with soy sauce. Also, I love spiralizers, they're so handy!
That's a great tip re: fish sauce and soy sauce would be a tasty swap 🙂