Sometimes the most simple things give us the most pleasure, and this Sesame Cucumber Salad definitely fits that description!

I developed this salad as an attempt to recreate a salad we love in Hawaii. Asian style food is common and easy to get in Hawaii, and cucumber salads are a part of this. We oftentimes will grab a pre-pared salad from the grocery store as a part of lunch or dinner. It’s light, crisp and refreshing and is the perfect veggie to pair with fish, tofu, rice (or simply eat on it’s own!).

The last time we returned to Denver I was committed to recreating this salad.

Lucky for me I was able to do it with some basic ingredients we already had in our pantry!

Here are a few tips for this cucumber salad:

• I peel my cucumbers because my family prefers it this way, but that’s completely up to you!
• I recommend using an English cucumber. These can be found at most grocery stores and typically come with a plastic wrapper. They have a very thin skin, no seeds and are perfect for this salad!
• I usually will use an entire cucumber for our family of four.
• I like to keep a crisp and raw texture to the cucumbers, so I dress the salad only about 20 minutes before eating. If you want it to marinate longer, you can definitely dress it earlier in the day, or even the day before.
• I add cilantro on the top as I love the flavor, but our kids don’t 😀. I leave it off for them.
• This would also be delicious with a spicy component such as red pepper flakes or chili oil!

In our family we serve this as a side to steamed rice, tofu, avocado, salmon or Asian noodles. It’s the perfect cool balance to the warm protein and rice.

Enjoy!