Best Warm Cucumber Salad Recipes

GRILLED SALMON WITH TZATZIKI (CUCUMBER-YOGURT SAUCE) AND WARM FINGERLING POTATO SALAD

Steps:

• Several hours before serving, make the potato salad: Rinse the potatoes, leaving their skins on. Put them in a saucepan with enough cold water to cover well and add a sprinkling of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then adjust the heat to maintain a steady boil and cook until the potatoes are just tender enough to be pierced easily with a long metal skewer, about 15 minutes. Drain well, transfer to a large mixing bowl filled with ice and water, and leave until thoroughly cooled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in another mixing bowl, stir together the vinegar, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Peel the potatoes, using your fingertips and, if necessary, a small, sharp knife to slip off their skins. Cut each potato crosswise into discs about 1/4 inch thick and add them to the vinegar mixture. Add the red onion, toss gently, cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours. Make tzatziki For the salmon: Preheat an outdoor or indoor charcoal or gas grill. Brush the salmon fillets on both sides with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Grill to the desired degree of doneness, about 4 minutes per side per 1 inch of thickness for medium, 5 minutes per side for cooked through but still moist. Meanwhile, put the potato salad in a sauté pan with the chicken broth and butter and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Taste and adjust the seasonings with more salt and pepper, if necessary. To serve, spoon the potato salad onto 4 serving plates to form even beds. Place a salmon fillet on top of each. Spoon some of the cool cucumber sauce over each fillet and around the plate, transferring the rest to a serving bowl to pass at table. Garnish each serving with a dill sprig. Serve immediately.

SPINACH-WRAPPED FLOUNDER AND WARM LENTIL SALAD WITH CUCUMBER YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with paper towels. In a kettle of boiling salted water blanch spinach in small batches 2 seconds and transfer with tongs to paper towels, laying it flat, to drain.
• In a saucepan bring 4 cups of water to a boil with lentils. Simmer lentils, covered 15 minutes and add salt to taste. Simmer lentils, covered, until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes more, and drain well. Transfer lentils to a bowl.
• While lentils are cooking, in a heavy skillet cook onion in 1 tablespoon oil over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in lentils, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Cook lentil mixture, stirring, until just heated through and keep warm.
• In a bowl whisk together yogurt and garlic paste. Peel cucumber and remove any seeds. Cut cucumber into 1-inch pieces and in a blender blend until smooth. Whisk cucumber into yogurt mixture with salt and pepper to taste and let sauce come to room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. and lightly oil a shallow baking pan.
• Pat flounder fillets dry and season with salt and pepper. Divide spinach among fillets, overlapping leaves to cover each fillet completely on one side, and transfer fillets, spinach sides down, to oiled pan. Sprinkle top of fillets with half of mint and wrap with remaining spinach, overlapping leaves until fillets are completely covered. Brush tops of fillets with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and bake fillets in middle of oven until cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Stir remaining mint into sauce and stir feta into lentil mixture.
• Divide lentil mixture among 6 plates and top with fillets. Spoon some of sauce onto each plate and garnish fillets with mint sprigs.

WARM CUCUMBER, TOMATO & LENTIL SALAD WITH BALSAMIC VINAIGRET

Steps:

• Cook dry lentils until tender following package instructions, roughly 30 minutes.
• When tender, drain and place in large bowl.
• Add remaining ingredients.
• Toss well and serve warm.
• ENJOY!

SALMON WITH A WARM SALAD OF CUCUMBER OLIVES AND TOMATO BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• Tomato Butter Sauce: Blend the tomatoes in a food processor with the vinegar, sugar and basil until smooth. Pass the puree through a sieve into a saucepan. Cook over a moderate heat for about 10 minutes until reduced by half. Mix in the cream and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the butter over low heat until you have a smooth and glossy sauce. Check for seasoning. Salmon and Salad: Rub both sides of the fillets with 1 tbsp of olive oil and set aside. Sauté briefly the cucumber, tomatoes, olives and parsley together in 1-2 tbsp olive oil. Season well and set aside. Quarter the gem lettuces lengthways and cut out the core. Heat the remaining oil in a heavy-based non-stick frying pan then sauté the lettuces with some seasoning for about 2 minutes. Once the leaves start to wilt, toss them in 2 tbsp vinaigrette. Transfer them to a warm plate and set aside. Heat a heavy based non-stick frying pan and when hot, add the salmon, skinned side down. Turn the heat to medium and cook for 3-4 minutes. Season the fish as it cooks. Turn over and finish cooking the other side for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. To serve, reheat the salad and toss in the remaining vinaigrette. Arrange the salad into the middle of the serving plates and place the wilted lettuce on top. Rest the salmon on top and serve the sauce around.

WARM CUCUMBER SALAD

Steps:

• Peel the cucumber lengthwise, scoop out the seeds with a spoon and cut into pieces.
• Put in a colander and sprinkle with a little salt, to draw out water.
• Put some oil/butter in a medium hot pan cover the bottom with mustard seeds and wait for them to pop; meanwhile chop the onion finely and the parsley roughly.
• Pour excess water off the cucumber pieces and put them in the pan; stir around just so they get warm--a couple of minutes.
• Sprinkle with onion and parsley, give it a stir and serve.