Smashed Cucumber Salad

4 standard portions

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Ingredients

• 1 pound seedless cucumbers (rinsed and dried (I prefer Japanese or Persian, but English cucumbers will work, too))
• 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 2 medium carrots (peeled into noodles with a vegetable peeler)
• ¼ cup All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce
• 1 garlic clove (minced)
• ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red chile pepper
• 2 green onions (thinly sliced)
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

Method

1. Place the cucumbers on a large cutting board and gently smash them with a meat pounder, cleaver, or small cast iron skillet until they split open. Trim the ends and cut the bashed cucumbers into bite-size pieces.
2. Grab a fine-mesh strainer or a colander that fits in a medium bowl. Transfer the cucumber pieces to the colander and toss with kosher salt. Place the strainer and bowl with the salted cucumber in the fridge while you prepare the other ingredients. (I’ve salted the cucumbers for as short as 5 minutes and as long as 4 hours.)
3. Got some All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce in the fridge? Great—use it! (And if not, it just takes a few minutes to shake a jar together, so do it already!) Then, in a small measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce, minced garlic, sesame oil, and crushed red chile pepper.
4. Grab the drained cucumbers out of the fridge, and plop them to a bowl with the carrot noodles and most of the green onions.
5. Add the dressing and toss well. Serve immediately!