Oh how I adore this smashed buffalo cucumber salad!
It’s refreshing with a touch of heat and also has cheese and avocado which means it’s basically my favorite thing on the planet right now.
So! I’d love to know what you’re eating right now. Are you working out of your pantry? Are you grocery shopping once a week, or twice? How is the fresh produce situation in your life?
Not only is it tricky for me to figure out what to share here on the blog, it’s just as tricky in real life to determine what we will eat. I feel like the past month we survived mostly on comfort food, even if it was a salad of sorts. And now that the weather is getting warmer, I’m craving fresher dishes. But that’s also hard since we’re only getting grocery pickup every ten days or so.
I’m still making (and wanting!) fresh salads and dishes like this, so I figured why not. After all, you have to know about this deliciousness.
Enter buffalo smashed cucumbers!
Last year I shared this sesame smashed cucumber salad here on the blog and it is SUCH a hit. I actually can’t believe how much I love it and how I often crave that salad, even for a snack. It’s weird. But it’s so refreshing and flavorful at the same time.
Eddie loathes cucumbers so it’s rare that I make that salad for dinner, unless I do just a few cucumbers for Emilia and me. She loves them too, though her preferred method of consumption is by dipping them in guac.
So this bowl!
We do the whole salt + sugar cucumber thing and let them hang out for 20 minutes or so. Enough time to grab the rest of your ingredients. Instead of an actual vinaigrette with this one, we’re doing buffalo wing sauce. It’s spicy and tangy, which is perfect for the fresh, juicy cucumbers.
We’re also adding an avocado. It keeps things mild, in a good and creamy way. It also adds some more substance so the salad, you know? So we’re not just eating a bowl of cucumbers.
I love to drizzle the wing sauce on at this point and toss the cucumber and avocado so it really gets coated in the flavor. I also do a splash of fresh lime juice!
Next comes the cheese. I’m all for blue cheese and definitely have it on hand. Plus, it works with the buffalo wing combo. But if you don’t have it or simply don’t like it, use feta, goat or even cheddar. They all work.
My favorite buffalo wing trifecta comes next: green onions, chives and cilantro. I love a mix of these three things on ANYTHING buffalo-wing flavored. It really makes a huge difference.
Finally, a big handful of crushed peanuts. These are everything. They add texture, of course (which I can’t live without) and again, more satiety to the dish! Also wonderful flavor too.
Doesn’t it look so incredible?!
Smashed Buffalo Cucumber Salad
Smashed Buffalo Cucumber Salad with Avocado
Ingredients
- 8 baby seedless cucumbers (or english/seedless cucumbers)
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 1 pinch sugar
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 3 tablespoons buffalo wing sauce, or more, if you like it!
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- ⅓ cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese (or feta, goat, cheddar, etc)
- ¼ cup chopped peanuts
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives
Instructions
- Cut the cucumbers into pieces (some in half, some lengthwise, whatever you want!) and use a jar or meat tenderizer to smash each piece, gently and most of the time, just once. You can discard any seeds that come out, but place all the cucumber pieces in a large strainer. Set the strainer over a bowl. Sprinkle on a generous pinch of salt and sugar, and toss the cucumbers. If you want, you can place a bowl (or something heavy!) on top of the cucumbers to help press out the water. Let the cucumbers sit for 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature.
- While they sit, prepare the rest of your ingredients!
- Drain the cucumbers and place them in a large bowl. Toss in the avocado. Add a small pinch of salt and pepper. Drizzle with the wing sauce and lime juice and toss. Sprinkle on the cheese, peanuts, onions, cilantro and chives. Serve immediately!
Yes to some green!
The post Smashed Buffalo Cucumber Salad with Avocado. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.
