Chopped cucumbers and tomatoes are tossed with mint, toasted cashews, cumin seed, lime, shallots, and salt for a simple and fresh summer salad. This vegan and gluten free salad comes together in just 10 minutes with 8 ingredients!
The beginning of every tomato season over the past several years has been celebrated with an iteration of this salad. It might sound silly, but tomatoes make such a short appearance here in Houston that their presence is indeed cause for celebration! Cherry tomatoes and other smaller varieties always mature first, giving us a sweet and tangy treat to contrast the earthy and bitter flavors of winter and spring. Seeing them ripen and change colors in the garden has become one of my absolute favorite things, second only to the joy of biting into the first one of the season!
How to Make the Best Cucumber Tomato Salad
Since cucumbers and tomatoes often come into season at the same time here, my favorite way to enjoy them is with this simple yet delicious salad. I’ve tweaked it over the years, making tiny adjustments in favor of achieving the best flavor. Here are my tips for making the best cucumber and tomato salad:
- In order to tame the sharpness of the shallot, you’ll mince it and add it to your mixing bowl with the juice of half of your lime. Stir to coat the shallots in the juice, and let them sit while you finish chopping your veggies. Think of it like a super quick pickle!
- Don’t skip out on toasting both the cashews and the cumin seed. It truly brings out their flavors and makes the salad taste so much better!
- I recommend not salting your salad until right before you’d like to serve it. Once the tomatoes and cucumbers are salted, it will begin to draw out their liquid, making the salad feel a bit soggy.
- I prefer this salad with cherry tomatoes (or other sweeter varieties) since their sweetness makes a lovely contrast to the rest of the ingredients.
- While you can use other herbs like basil or cilantro here, I prefer the cool punch of mint! I recommend trying it with mint the first time you make the recipe.
How to Store Cucumbers and Tomatoes
Now that cucumbers and tomatoes have made their way back into season, there’s nothing worse than storing them improperly only to have them go bad on you very quickly. Here’s how I like to store these beloved summer veggies:
CUCUMBERS – In general, cucumbers are relatively unfussy. I simply pat them dry and store them in the crisper drawer of my fridge with a clean kitchen towel draped over them. They will keep this way for 7-10 days. If I find myself stuck with a glut of cucumbers and need to use them up quickly, I’ll juice them or make a big batch of this limeade or these pickles.
TOMATOES – The thing to remember about tomatoes is that they don’t like to be stored in the fridge. The chill of the fridge causes them to lose their flavor, making them taste bland! Store tomatoes at room temperature away from direct sunlight (unless they’re green or underripe ones that you’re trying to ripen). They will keep this way for 5-7 days depending on their degree of ripeness.
Other Ways to Enjoy Your Cucumbers and Tomatoes
Once you’ve enjoyed this salad, here are a few other recipes that celebrate these summer veggies:
- Sweet Pepper Romesco with Armenian Cucumber & White Bean Salad
- Refreshing Cucumber Basil Soda
- Herbed Polenta with Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes & Macadamia Ricotta
- Roasted Garden Salsa
- Cheesy Grits with Stewed Tomatoes & Okra
Cucumber Tomato Salad with Roasted Cashews and Mint
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 3–4 side servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Chopped cucumbers and tomatoes are tossed with mint, toasted cashews, cumin seed, lime, shallots, and salt for a simple and fresh summer salad. This vegan and gluten free salad comes together in just 10 minutes with 8 ingredients!
Ingredients
- 1 small shallot
- 1 lime
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 medium/large slicing cucumber
- 2/3 cup raw cashews, toasted
- 1/3 cup mint leaves
- 1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds, toasted
- sea salt, to taste
Instructions
Mince your shallot and add it to a mixing bowl. Cut your lime in half, the squeeze the juice from the lime half over the minced shallots. Stir, then set this aside while you prep everything else.
Cut your cherry tomatoes into halves or quarters depending on how large they are. Cut your cucumber in half lengthwise, then cut into roughly 1/8 or 1/4-inch thick slices (see photos). Add the tomatoes and cucumbers to your mixing bowl with the shallots and lime juice. You can either leave the cashews whole (my favorite) or roughly chop them, then add them to the bowl. Roughly chop the mint and add it to the bowl along with the toasted cumin seeds. Toss well to combine. Taste the salad and add more salt to season and more lime juice as needed.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- To toast your cumin seeds, add them to a dry pan set over medium heat. Shake the pan as it heats up to move the seeds around and keep them from burning. Once they become highly fragrant and have darkened slightly in color, they’re ready!
- I recommend adding the salt to the salad right before you eat it as it will start to draw moisture out of the cucumbers and tomatoes.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: salad
This is a beautiful summer salad! I love the summer vegetables used and the flavor combination. Thanks for the lovely recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it Risa! 🙂
This looks so refreshing and delicious. Another one of your recipes bookmarked!
Thank you so much Leanne! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
This salad looks so fresh and vibrant! I love the crunch from the roasted cashews paired with juicy tomatoes and refreshing mint !
The mint is a little less conventional but so great with the cucumbers and tomatoes! Thanks for leaving a comment! 🙂