Equipment
Ingredients
Vegetables
- 300 g cucumber, diced
- 250 g cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 150 g red bell pepper, diced
- 100 g red onion, finely diced
Cure
- 6 g kosher salt
Dressing and Herbs
- 45 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 15 ml red wine vinegar
- 15 g fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 2 g dried oregano, crushed
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 150 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- 11 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 6 g
- Sodium
- 635 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 2 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 8 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Potassium
- 255 mg
- Calcium
- 34 mg
- Iron
- 0.9 mg
- Magnesium
- 20 mg
- Phosphorus
- 38 mg
- Zinc
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin A
- 79 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 57 mg
- Vitamin E
- 2.4 mg
- Vitamin K
- 86 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.2 mg
- Thiamin
- 0.06 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.07 mg
- Niacin
- 0.6 mg
- Folate
- 34 mcg
- Water
- 135 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Dice the cucumber, tomatoes, bell pepper, and red onion into uniform 1cm pieces to ensure consistent texture and curing.
Place the chopped vegetables into a colander set over a large mixing bowl. Toss thoroughly with the kosher salt. Allow to stand at room temperature to draw out excess moisture.
Shake the colander gently to remove any clinging liquid. Discard the purged vegetable juices collected in the bowl below, or reserve them for another use.
Transfer the drained vegetables to a dry mixing bowl. Add the extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, crushed dried oregano, and fresh chopped parsley. Toss well to thoroughly coat the vegetables.
Allow the dressed salad to rest before serving. This brief marination lets the residual salt and vinegar lightly pickle the vegetables while the oil rounds out the acidity.
Chef's Notes
- Osmosis is the culinary engine here. By salting the water-dense vegetables, you break down their cell walls slightly, which concentrates their flavor and prevents the salad from becoming watery after it is dressed.
- Always use kosher salt or coarse sea salt for curing. Fine table salt dissolves too quickly and penetrates too deeply, resulting in an overly salty dish.
- The purged vegetable water at the bottom of the bowl is packed with flavor. While this recipe discards it to maximize crunch, it makes an excellent base for a bloody mary, vinaigrette, or gazpacho.
- Because the salt acts as a tenderizer and flavor enhancer, additional salt in the final dressing is rarely needed.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container. The vegetables will continue to soften and pickle slightly over time.
Troubleshooting
Vegetables are overly soft or limp
Cause: Vegetables were cut too small or left in the salt cure for too long
Fix: Cannot be fixed structurally, but can be pureed into a cold gazpacho base
Prevention: Maintain a uniform 1cm dice and limit the maceration time to exactly 30 minutes
Salad tastes unpleasantly salty
Cause: Fine table salt was used instead of kosher salt, penetrating the cell walls too aggressively
Fix: Briefly rinse the vegetables under cold water and pat completely dry before dressing
Prevention: Always measure salt by weight and use coarse or kosher grain sizes for curing
Cultural Context
Chopped salads are a cornerstone of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern culinary traditions, found in variations from Israeli salad to Iranian Shirazi. The technique of salting vegetables prior to dressing is a time-honored method to manage the high water content of summer produce, ensuring a robust and well-seasoned dish that withstands intense heat without turning into soup.
