Cucumber Pineapple Salad

You’ll have to forgive my poor photography; I’m very disenchanted with my current dishes, and I fear that’s spilling into the overall aesthetic presentation of my cooking.  Regardless, this cucumber pineapple salad is pretty in any dish.  The colors complement each other, and there’s quite a bit of visual texture here.  For that matter, there’s quite a bit of flavor here, too.   When dressed, this salad works nicely with Thai or Southeast Asian-influenced dishes – possibly Japanese, too.  When tossed together without dressing, this is a perfect accompaniment to curry served over a plain Jasmine rice that is seasoned lightly with a few toasted mustard and cumin seeds.  The sweetness of the pineapple and the perfumed flavor of the curry are perfect foils to each other.  And, if the pineapple is cold and the curry hot, the contrast is even more gratifying.  I would imagine this would go well with a jerk-seasoned chicken or fish, also.  

Cucumber Pineapple Salad

 

• 1 C pineapple cubes 
• 1 cucumber, seeded and sliced
• 1/3 C red onion, thinly sliced 
• 1 minced serrano pepper
• 1/2 C cilantro
• 1/4 C mint
• 2 T chopped toasted cashews
• juice of one lime
• 1 T light soy sauce
• 1 T honey or agave nectar
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Start with good pineapple.  If you must use canned, avoid anything packed in syrup or sweetened; the fruit needs no assistance in this dish.  Add the cubes to a generously sized serving dish – you will need room to toss the salad.  Also, add the cucumber, onion, serrano pepper, cilantro, and mint.  To crush whole cashews, spread them in a single layer on your cutting board.  Lay a broad-bladed knife on top of them, and apply pressure with the heel of your palm.  Rock the blade over the cashews gently; they have a tendency to shoot out if your movement is too abrupt.  This will produce a variety of sizes and textures of the nut.  Repeat if you would prefer finer pieces.  Add to the serving bowl as well.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the lime juice, honey, soy sauce, and garlic.  Just before serving, pour over the salad and toss well to combine.  No salt needed here!  The soy and the nuts provide all the saltiness you need.

Serves 2 as a side salad or 4 as a garnish for curry.