Chopped Cucumber Summer Salad

Chopped Cucumber Summer Salad is a simple combination of veggies that’s packed with flavor. It’s perfect on its own or as a topping for grilled chicken or fish.

Chopped Cucumber Summer Salad has officially become my favorite salad of the summer. It’s such a simple combination of ingredients, but this salad is SO full of flavor. One of the other reasons I love this salad so much is that it can be made well ahead of time and the flavors just keep getting better.

I will admit, it takes a few extra minutes to finely chop everything, but it’s so worth it. By chopping everything finely, you get all of the flavors in every single bite.

For the cucumber, I find that the easiest way to get it finely diced is to first cut it lengthwise into thin planks. Then cut each plank into thin strips lengthwise and then cut the strips crosswise into small pieces. This process actually makes the chopping go fairly quickly.

Not only is chopped cucumber summer salad a delicious side dish, it’s also fantastic as a topping for grilled chicken or fish. The flavor from the lemon zest and juice is bright and pairs wonderfully with either protein.  And the crunch from all the veggies adds great texture.

Give this salad a try yourself. I’m confident it will become your favorite summer salad as well!

Tips and Tricks

• I like the convenience of using pre-shredded carrots.
• English cucumbers have a thin tender skin, so there is no need to peel them. This is convenient and it will also add more fiber to the salad.
• I love the flavor and brightness that fresh cilantro adds, but if you’re not a fan fresh parsley will also brighten the flavor.
• Make sure you remove all of the seeds from the tomato, this will keep the salad from becoming too wet. To easily remove the seeds. cut the tomato in half lengthwise from top to bottom and then gently squeeze until all of the seeds are removed.
• I like to serve this at room temperature or just slightly chilled. I feel that the flavors are more pronounced if it’s closer to room temp.

Ingredients Needed to Make Chopped Cucumber Summer Salad

Full instructions can be found below in the printable recipe card

• English cucumber – The skin on this variety is thinner and more tender than a regular cucumber, so you don’t need to peel it. I also like the color that it adds to the salad.
• Fresh tomato – Make sure you seed the tomato before dicing it, this will keep the salad from becoming too wet.
• Red onion – I like red onion for the color and the milder flavor.
• Shredded carrots – To keep things easy, I buy shredded carrots rather than shredding them myself
• Cilantro – If cilantro isn’t your thing, you can use fresh parsley instead. Either will add brightness to the salad.
• Lemon – Use a fresh lemon, you will need both the juice and the zest.
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Olive oil – I prefer olive oil over other varieties of oil because I like the flavor that it adds to the salad.

How to Make Chopped Cucumber Summer Salad

• Finely dice the cucumber
• Cut the tomato in half and gently squeeze each half to remove the seeds, then finely chop the tomato.
• Finely dice the red onion
• Shred the carrot if you didn’t purchase pre-shredded.
• Mince the cilantro
• Zest and juice lemon
• Combine chopped vegetables, lemon zest, salt and pepper in a medium size bowl.
• Toss to coat with lemon juice and olive oil.
• Serve immediatley at room temperature or refrigerate until 15-20 minutes before serving.