Marinated Cucumber and Avocado Salad with Ginger Scallion Roast Salmon

Happy Monday!

I’ve got some fun news today - I’m partnering with Global Cutlery to celebrate their 40th anniversary. We’re hosting a giveaway for a 5 piece knife block set, and I’ll be randomly selecting someone next Wednesday November 20 to win this. Head over to my instagram to enter to win, and I seriously can’t wait for y’all to love the G4 oriental knife as much as the vegetable G5 knife.

To continue the celebration, I’m sharing a weeknight dinner recipe that I love so much. It’s so easy, made with around 10 ingredients, half of which you probably already have, and comes together in 30 minutes.

The marinated avocado and cucumber salad is what makes this whole dish so delicious, and you can make it at home very easily.

Don’t skip the avocado, as it adds a beautiful creamy texture alongside the crunchy cucumbers and tender salmon. The trick is to use a medium firm avocado (not ripe, but not rock hard) - this will allow it to keep it’s shape when mixing.

If you’re not a big fan of salmon and want to pair this salad with another protein / main, here are a few ideas. The rice / grains in this dish are mandatory (in my opinion!) - it’s the perfect vessel to soak in all the flavor in the mayak sauce :)

• Vietnamese inspired shaking beef bowl - replace the veg with the marinated avocado and cucumber salad!

• Bulgolgi beef rice bowl - also replace the veg with the marinated avocado and cucumber salad.

• Thai Coconut curry meatballs - instead of the mushrooms and peppers, do this salad instead

• Shrimp Bing and garlic noodles - add the marinated avocados and cucumbers to brighten up the dish and add some freshness

• Make this with your favorite fried rice recipe. We made this exact dish at Jackie’s Supper club a couple weeks ago and paired it with a scallion egg fried rice (instead of just grains), and people went nuts for it!! I’m sure your family will too.

Ingredient & Prep notes:

• Try to use Persian cucumbers or Japanese cucumbers if you can. They are thinner skinned and have a crispier flesh compared to English or American cucumbers. If you’re using English cucumbers, you only need 1 cucumber instead of 4 (what the recipe calls for).

• If you prefer steaming salmon instead of roasting (for a more tender fish), I have a ginger scallion steamed salmon recipe you can follow here). I like the roasted method here to keep this recipe stove proof.

• Use fresh lemon juice in the mayak sauce. This recipe has such few ingredients, each one is very important for the balance of the dish!

  • That being said, feel free to skip the minced garlic if you’re not a fan of raw garlic. I don’t love raw garlic, but find just 1 clove adds a nice layer of depth in the sauce.

• IF you want to meal prep this dish, I recommend a few things:

  • You can cook the salmon and keep this in your fridge for up to 4 days. To keep ensure the salmon tastes good for this long, make sure the salmon is fresh (get the fish from the store the same day you plan to cook). You do NOT want it to smell fishy when you are preparing it. Alternatively, I always prefer to freeze the salmon if it’s going to sit in my fridge for more than a day.

  • Make rice and keep stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

  • Make the mayak sauce up to 5 days ahead of time, but toss this with the cucumbers and avocado right before you eat (or 30 minutes prior).

  • Highly recommend smashing the cucumbers and dicing the avocado the same day you eat it.

Equipment needed:

• baking tray

Recipe - Marinated Avocado and Cucumber Salad with Ginger Scallion Roast Salmon

Serves 2

Cook time: ~30 minutes

For the marinated cucumber and avocado salad

• 1 large avocado

• 4 persian cucumbers 

• Juice of 1 lemon

• ½ cup soy sauce

• ½ cup water

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1 stalk green onion

• 1 teaspoon chili oil (optional)

• 1/4 teaspoon Black or white sesame seeds (optional)

For the Ginger scallion salmon

• 12 ounces salmon

• 2 tablespoon kewpie mayo

• 2 stalks green onion 

• 1 teaspoon grated ginger

• Kosher salt 

• Black pepper 

For the bowl:

• 1 cup cooked rice

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. 

2. Prep the aromatics - thinly slice the scallions and microplane the ginger (can also mince the ginger if you don’t have a microplane). 

3. Mix the kewpie mayo with half the chopped scallion and the grated ginger. 

4. Season the salmon with salt and pepper on both sides. Spread an even layer of the mayo over the top of the fish. Roast at 400F for 10 minutes, or until the thickest part of the fish reaches 135F. 

5. As the salmon cooks, make the marinated cucumber and avocado salad. Trim the cucumbers, then cut into 2” long pieces. Use the side of your knife to lightly smack the cucumbers. Tear the pieces apart and add them to a mixing bowl. Repeat for all cucumber pieces. 

6. Dice the avocado and add this to the mixing bowl with the cucumbers. 

7. Make the sauce - mince the garlic, then add this to a separate bowl or jar. Add all the other ingredients to the bowl and give this a stir. Pour the sauce over the cucumbers and avocado and mix. 

8. Once the salmon is cooked, flake this into 2 portions, then plate over rice. Add several large spoonfuls of the marinated cucumbers and avocado (with just a little bit of the sauce), and serve.