Cucumber Salsa

There is a bit of a running joke in the gardening community about zucchini. They are incredibly prolific, and no matter how much you eat and give away, there always seem to be more and more and MORE. Unless you are me. Then you canโ€™t grow a zucchini to save your dang life.

Seriously. Zucchini are so easy-to-grow, so bountiful, that there is even a holiday to give them away to your neighbors. But I can count on one hand the number of zucchinis Iโ€™ve successfully grown over the years. What can I say, itโ€™s a curse!

Mockup of the pages of the Ultimate Healthy School Lunches eBook
The Ultimate Guide to Healthy School Lunches

Weโ€™ve packed (pun intended!) all our knowledge from years ofย making school lunches into one digital master guide!

buy now

Now cucumber? Friends, I can grow you some cucumbers.

Cucumber Salsa - Ingredients

Iโ€™ve never grown a cucumber plant that produced less than 457 cucumbers. And over the years, Iโ€™ve gotten quite skilled at using up all that crisp, cool, cucumber-y deliciousness. This crisp, cool, and spicy Cucumber Salsa is one of my new favorite ways to do so!

How is this different than regular salsa?

In this salsa, tomatoes play second-fiddle to the cool and crisp cucumbers. I chose red and yellow tomatoes for a bit of a fun burst of color, and I think they are so pretty against the simple background of the pale green cucumber chunks.

Tomatoes are a strong and acidic flavor and that makes standard salsa bold and a bit in-your-face. This salsa is mild and light, but still full of flavor. It is great paired with lighter fare, because the salsa wonโ€™t overpower other flavors. We had it on fish tacos! It was flavorful enough to make the taco delicious, but mild enough to let the whitefish flavor shine through. Itโ€™s equally as good piled high on a tortilla chip!

Cucumber Salsa

What is in this cucumber salsa?

To make this cucumber salsa recipe, you’ll need cucumbers (duh), red onion, and tomatoes for the bulk of the veggies. Mix those with some jalapeรฑo, garlic, and cilantro, and you’re almost there!

To finish, you’ll mix some lime juice with cumin, red wine vinegar, and a little salt, and stir that into all the veggies. A little rest in the fridge and you’ve got salsa!

The key to any good salsa is an even chop. Iโ€™m a huge fan of the โ€œroughly chopโ€ school of culinary skills most of the time, but in the case of salsa, you want to get every piece of flavor in each bite. That requires an even chop. Take a little bit of time to cut your veggies well and youโ€™ll be rewarded with a pretty salsa with a well-balanced flavor.

What else can I do with (too many!) cucumbers?

Some of my other favorite ways to use up a windfall of cukes:

Cucumber Salsa

Cucumber Salsa

Yield: 4 cups
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Additional Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Use your bounty of cucumbers in this crisp, cool, and spicy Cucumber Salsa. It pairs perfectly with lighter fare!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups seeded and diced cucumber, about 2 medium (peeled, if desired)
  • 1 cup diced red onion, about 1 medium
  • 1 cup diced, seeded tomato, about 1 medium
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, about half of one bunch
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1 medium jalapeรฑo, seeds and membrane removed, finely minced (see notes)
  • 1/4 cup lime juice, about 2 medium limes worth
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • Salt, to taste
  • Tortilla chips, for serving

Instructions

  1. Combine cucumber, onion, tomato, cilantro, garlic, and jalapeño in a medium-sized bowl, set aside.
  2. In a smaller bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients.
  3. Pour dressing over veggies and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld.

Notes

Jalapeรฑos can be tricky. Some can be mild as bell peppers and other are spicier than all get outโ€”and there is no way to tell until you taste it. If youโ€™re heat-adverse, put on gloves, and then go ahead and make sure to remove seeds and membranes from the jalapeรฑo (these parts are really spicy), and mince finely. Add the jalapeรฑo a little bit at a time until you reach the desired spice level.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1/2 cup
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 32Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 79mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 1g

At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

41 Comments

  1. My husband prefers cooked over fresh. Can this be cooked? I’ve already made it so can’t really change the recipe except to add something to it for cooking.

    1. Hi Karen! This recipe was developed to be a fresh salsa. We’ve never cooked it, and we can’t say for sure how it will turn out if you do. If you give it a go, please let us know how it turns out!

  2. Have you tried freezing this salsa? I’ve had good luck with a frozen pickle and wonder if this would work too. Thanks.

    1. Hi Emily! We haven’t tried freezing this so we’re not sure how it would hold up. Let us know if you try it!