Recipe: Smacked Cucumber Salad

This recipe infuses classic Chinese cucumber salad with a fresh, herby breath of spring. The smashing of the cucumber softens the edges and helps the pieces absorb more flavor; plus, it’s fun to whack things. We encourage you to play around with the ingredients; if you can find some green garlic or garlic scapes, they’re a wonderful seasonal substitute for garlic cloves. If you don’t have mint, try parsley or cilantro, and there’s no reason you can’t up the quantities of the herbs. Feel free to sprinkle on some crunch of your choice — we like ours with salted Virginia peanuts. And like most things, it’s excellent with some chunks of ripe avocado.

Sauce

• 1 clove garlic, or 1 stalk green garlic, or 2 stalks garlic scapes, minced

• 1 scallion, thinly sliced

• Leaves from 4 sprigs mint, roughly chopped, plus more for garnish

• 2 tablespoons (30 g) rice vinegar

• 2 tablespoons (26 g) extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 tablespoon (15 g) sriracha

• 1⁄2 teaspoons (8 g) soy sauce (substitute tamari if gluten-free)

• Pinch of kosher salt, or to taste

Other Ingredients

• 1 large English cucumber or 4 Kirby or Persian cucumbers

• Optional: Additional herbs, diced scallions, peanuts, croutons, or breadcrumbs, for garnish

Make the Sauce

Combine all the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl or food processor and whisk or pulse to combine.

Make the Salad

Cut the cucumber(s) in half lengthwise and lay flat on the cutting board, seed-side down. Vigorously smack the pieces with the flat side of a cleaver or a rolling pin until they start to splinter open. Cut lengthwise down the spines and then crosswise into bite-size pieces. Toss with the dressing, add the salt, and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. Taste and add more salt, if needed. Serve with your choice of garnishes.