The Nutty Pantry Staple That Turns Cucumber Salad From Drab To Fab

We're probably not alone in saying that "salads" are exponentially better when they don't involve any lettuce at all. From fresh fruit salads to the iconic and versatile chicken salad, there are endless "salad" options out there that ditch the leafy greens for flavor and textural diversity. But one of the most forgotten-about options? Cucumber salad. 

This salad is all about freshness. Most recipes keep it simple (like our three-ingredient variation, which calls for avocado and cocktail onions), but add flavor with unique ingredients. The next time you try your hand at cucumber salad, try adding peanut butter to the equation.

Sure, it doesn't scream "freshness" like a vinaigrette or herbs, but it does add a complex depth to a cucumber salad that other ingredients can only dream about offering. Peanut butter is salty and, yes, nutty, which will highlight the salty notes in other seasonings, like soy sauce or tamari. You can whip up a spicy satay-inspired peanut dressing, adding oil to thin it, and tossing it with your fresh cukes for a punchy starter. 

There are so many different types of peanut butter out there, including both chunky and creamy varieties, giving you endless options for making a tasty cucumber salad. If you are planning to add it to a sauce, we recommend preparing it in a blender or food processor. This will better mix the thick peanut butter with the rest of the ingredients, allowing you to more readily drizzle it over your salad. Cucumber salad also doesn't tend to be tasty on day two because of how watery the vegetable is, which is why we recommend preparing extra dressing and drizzling it over fresh cucumber slices right before serving. You could also salt the cucumbers and remove some of the moisture with a towel if needed.

How tasty would a pad Thai-inspired cucumber salad be, especially loaded up with pieces of peanuts, a peanut butter-based sauce, Thai basil, and lime juice? You could even fuse the two dishes together, ditching the noodles in favor of mandolined cucumber, and serve it cold with your choice of protein. Add sliced Thai chiles for an extra burst of heat; the nutty peanut butter will be the perfect complement to this spicy addition.