Cool, food-sexy and sassy, my Cajun marinated cucumber salad takes the sting out of summer, ya'll. Thinly sliced garden cucumbers and roasted red peppers soak in a 5-minute-prep marinade in your fridge til they're fall-apart tender and swollen with yum-delicious zestiness. Yep and yay...
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Cajun Marinated Cucumber Salad is the Perfect Oh Sooo Hot Day Treat...
Although I cook a whole, whole lot of comfort food dishes in my kitchen, I usually prepare those labors of love at night. Yep.
During the day, I eat very lightly. Since I'm usually at the computer all the day long, I just want to eat small bites of leftovers or salads that I can make quickly and get right back to work.
Well, my mom went to see my aunt and uncle down in Bayou Blue last week, and she brought Mark and I a few cucumbers from my Uncle Jackson's timelessly perfect garden. They were huge, ya'll!! Big and green and garden-yellow beautiful.
As soon as I saw them I wanted to use them in something light and airy for those times when I need a food-break from my laptop ball and chain. So, I developed this Cajun marinated cucumber salad to be ready for the eating during my next all-day work session.
Cajun Marinated Cucumber Salad Yields a Cool Consistency and Slightly Fiery Flavor Profile
I started my Cajun marinated cucumber salad by (Mark) using our mandolin to slice the cucumbers paper thin over a serrated blade. Then, I added minced Cajun trinity bits, jarred roasted red peppers, and fresh chopped green onions. Then, I set the bowl aside to whip up the cucumber marinade.
Since I wouldn't be breathing if I wasn't craving something a tad bit spicy, I used two different kinds of Tabasco sauces in the cucumber marinade, y'all. I used the Green Pepper Sauce to inject a mild yet jazzy flavor into the dish And, since I wasn't serving the salad to kids, I also added a bit of original Tabasco to the marinade to further satiate my continuous native south Louisiana need for food-heat. You don't have to add the additional hot sauce, though, if you're serving kids or if you're not into that much hot sauce. Nope.
I made sure that each and every ingredient in the salad was saturated with marinade. Then, I covered the Cajun marinated cucumber salad, and tucked it away into the fridge for 24 hours to allow the natural progression of the marinade to peak.
I couldn't wait to taste it for lunch today, so I ended up having it for a late, 10 am or so breakfast. Well y'all, I can say that I haven't stopped eating it since!!
It's exactly what I've been craving! This Cajun marinated cucumber salad with roasted red peppers is cool on the tongue, with pops of heat here and there at just the right moments. And the melt-in-your-mouth cucumber slices couldn't be any more tender, while the tiny bits of Cajun trinity, parsley and green onion couldn't be any more crunchy-surprising-good. Yep.
This Cajun marinated cucumber salad is turning out to be my new summer staple for all of the right reasons, y'all. It's snappy, it's fresh, and it just gets better and better the longer you let it marinate in your fridge. Share with those who love you madly for all of your right reasons. And see y'all on the yum side...
P.S. Please, PLEASE see the note on the recipe card about some safety considerations, y'all. Thanks! 🙂
Cajun Marinated Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 2 large cucumbers
- 1 tablepsoon finely chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped green bell pepper
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped celery
- 3 tablespoons jarred roasted red peppers
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onion
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
For the Cajun Cucumber Marinade
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon Tabasco Green Pepper Sauce
- ¼ teaspoon Tabasco
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste
Instructions
- Fit a mandolin with a serrated blade. Use the mandolin to slice the cucumbers as thin as possible. Or, hand-cut the cucumbers into very thin slices.
- Place cucumbers in a large glass bowl with a fitted lid. Set aside.
- Make the Cajun cucumber marinade by whisking all of the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. (You may want to wait to season the cucumber salad with the salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper right before you serve it.)
- Pour the marinade over the cucumbers. Use large salad spoons, or your hands, to fully incorporate the marinade into the cucumbers.
- Refrigerate for 24 hours before serving.
I’ve been making my cucumber salad with Steen’s cane vinegar. It adds a darker element than the cider vinegar, but not so dark like a balsamic.
I didn't have Steen's on hand that day, or I would have used it myself. I like it both ways, honestly. I use Steen's in my Candied Carrot Salad, and it really does enhance all of the other flavors in the dish. https://asprinklingofcayenne.com/candied-carrot-salad/