This salad rests on a simple idea: cauliflower pulsed for a few seconds in the food processor takes on the texture of couscous and becomes the crunchy base for everything else. The cucumber brings freshness, the red onion bite, the basil fragrance, and the lemony hummus dressing binds it all without a drop of cream. Ten minutes, watch in hand.
Cucumber and basil salad
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Ingredients
- 1 cucumber, cut into quarters
- 1/3 cauliflower (about 2 cups once riced)
- 1/2 red onion, finely diced
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, shredded
Creamy lemon dressing
- The juice of one lemon
- 2 tbsp plain hummus
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- Salt, to taste
- Extra shredded basil, optional
Preparation
- In a food processor, pulse the third of a cauliflower in short bursts until you have a crumbly texture — about 2 cups. Stop before it turns into a purée.
- Transfer to a large bowl, then add the cucumber, red onion and basil. Mix well.
- Make the dressing in a small bowl, whisking all the ingredients together until smooth.
- Pour the dressing over the salad, toss until everything is well coated, and serve straight away.
Tip
This salad is eaten right away: salt and lemon draw the water out of the cucumber within an hour. If you are preparing ahead, keep the dressing separate and toss at the last moment.
FAQ: your questions about cucumber and basil salad
Which herb goes well with cucumber?
Dill is the great classic, especially in Northern and Eastern European cooking, where it has always accompanied cucumber. Mint works just as well, particularly in preparations based on yoghurt or sesame paste. Basil, chosen here, brings a rounder, slightly aniseed note that stands up to the red onion. Add to that chives, tarragon in small quantities, and coriander if you are heading towards Asian flavours. In every case, shred the herb at the last moment: it blackens quickly on contact with lemon.
What dressing for a cucumber salad?
Three families work. The classic vinaigrette — olive oil, vinegar or lemon, salt — lets the vegetable speak and suits every herb. The creamy dressing, based on yoghurt, hummus or nut butter as here, coats the pieces better and softens the raw onion. Finally the Asian dressing — soy sauce, sesame oil, a little rice vinegar — transforms the dish completely. One piece of advice valid in all three cases: salt just before serving, otherwise the cucumber gives up its water and dilutes everything.
Can cauliflower be eaten raw?
Yes, without reservation, and its raw version deserves to be better known. Riced in the food processor, it becomes light and soaks up dressings the way couscous would, which makes it the base of raw tabboulehs. Its flavour is milder than cooked, less sulphurous, and its crunch holds for several hours. Two caveats though: people prone to bloating sometimes digest it better cooked, and raw florets deserve careful rinsing, since water lodges readily between the buds.
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