Cucumber melon is a classic food pairing. It also reminds me of when I was a young tween, stealing my older sisters cucumber melon face mask that you smeared all over your face, let dry, then peeled off like a layer of skin. I remember thinking that that stuff was the shit and if my sisters where using it, then I really should start using it too before I got an old lady face. Plus it was cool to peel off and made me feel grown up because I was taking care of my skin. So steal it I would until I eventually started buying it myself. Then one day I realized, I could get the same results with a bottle of Elmers glue and also I didn't really want to spend my money on face mask when I could be buying other unmentionable things. And that was the end of that.
I wonder if they still sell that shit.... I wouldn't buy it though cause you know it is probably really is just sweet smelling glue. Plus it's to late for me. I am already old. Ha.
Anyway. Back to the cucumber, cantaloupe, avocado, mint salad. What can I say that the name doesn't? That is is f-ing fantastic and refreshing and easy to through together and required ZERO heat to make. Also that on the hottest of hot and nasty days, this here combination , what with the refreshing mint and crisp clean flavors of the cucumber and melon, really can make a shitty day feel a little less shitty, maybe even a little brighter. I don't know about you, but this past super hot heat wave week was hard for food, like I didn't really want to eat anything. This salad was fresh and clean enough to eat all day, everyday. It was so good, even the mr liked it and he says he hates fruit in any salad situation. (I have called bullshit in this so many times. He actually does like it, he just wants to give me a hard time.)
Fresh crisp, all sorts of refreshing. A true blue summer salad. Get on it.
The stuff. Some cantaloupe, a cucumber or two, an avocado, a lemon, mint, cracked pepper, and even though it's not in the picture, sea salt.
Remove seeds and rind from cantaloupe then chop into small mouth sized pieces ans toss it into a bowl.
Cut the cucumber up into simutlar sized pieces as cantaloupe and toss into bowl.
. I ended up only using one and a half of the cucumbers so the cucumber/ cantaloupe ratio was the same. Plus I wanted to eat the half of cucumber tight then and there.. so I did.
Scoop the avocado meat onto the cutting board. Sprinkle it with sea salt and a little squueze of lemon juice and roughly chop. You don't want it mashed, but a little mashy avocado is good. Perfect cubes are ok too. You do you.
Mince some mint leaves. You know where they go.
It's all there. Cantaloupe, cucumbers, avocado, mint. Salt and pepper and all the lemon juice. Now just stir it up and you are good to go.
A simple summer dish. No heat, not sweat, just fresh and clean goodness.
Stay cool friends.
-C
Cucumber-Cantaloupe-Avocado-Mint Salad
Serve 2-3
- 1/4- 1/2 of a fresh cantaloupe
- 1-2 thinned skinned cucumbers (like 2 Persian or 1 English)
- 1ripe avocado
- 1 lemon
- 15 -ish mint leaves
- sea salt and cracked pepper
Note. This salad is so simple and easy and really, you can adjust the quantities of any of the ingredients to your liking. You could also try subing basil or dill for mint leaves and you could use any other type of melon for the cantaloupe.
Remove seeds and rind from melon and cut into small mouth sized pieces and place into a big bowl. Cut cucumber(s) into small mouth sized pieces (same size as cantaloupe) and toss into bowl. Scope the meat of the avocado onto cutting board, add a sprinkle of sea salt and a little squeeze of lemon juice and with your knife, roughlycut/ slighty mash it into a chunky pile. Scope the avocado into the bowl. Mince the mint leaves and add those to the salad. Lastly, squeeze the juice of the lemon all into that bowl too. Grab a spoon and mix it all together. Sprinkle with pepper, a pinch more sea salt (to taste) and thats that.
Eat. Left over s last a day or two in fridge but you should just probably just eat it all right away.