It’s nearing Labor Day — the unofficial end of summer — which means cucumber season is coming to a close. And, if you’re trying to get a few more summer salads in before then, you’re not alone.
TikTok’s most recent food craze is cucumber salad. And social media creator Logan Moffitt, known as @logagm on TikTok, has been posting near-daily cucumber salad recipe videos that have inspired TikTok users to eat an entire cucumber in one sitting.
Each video starts with some variation of, “Sometimes you need to eat an entire cucumber, this is the best way to do it.” Moffitt then slices a cucumber on a mandoline — a feat that has proven dangerous for some TikTok users — then adds sauce before giving everything a good shake.
Many of Moffitt’s recipes — like this one — are variations on an Asian cucumber salad — and ingredients are never measured:
- Soy sauce
- Fish sauce
- Sesame oil
- MSG
- Rice wine vinegar
- One grated clove of garlic (again, be careful with the grater)
- Sugar
- Chili oil
- Green onion
His videos have inspired a flurry of TikTok users creating their own takes on cucumber salad:
- “The one that I was most intrigued by was the cream cheese and lox and everything bagel one,” said user @soogia1.
- User @forevaheatha did the “California roll inspired cucumber salad”
- “I’m thinking we do like feta, spinach, onion, garlic, lemon, olive oil, that kind of vibe,” user @whitneyhanslow said.
- User @saltnpiipa made a “cucumbery, peanut buttery, Asian-infused bowl of deliciousness.”
When you’re not in the mood to whip up a multi-ingredient dish, you can always eat cucumbers raw with a bit of sea salt and olive oil.
But for those ready to try out some new cucumber recipes, we asked a few chefs for their favorite ways to eat a cucumber.
Chef Banh’s Cucumber Shrimp Salad:
Eric Banh, a Chinese-Vietnamese chef and restaurateur from Seattle says he likes to start with an English cucumber — the big ones that often come in plastic at the grocery store — “because [of] the consistency of it and it also has a better crunch.”
One of Banh’s favorite cucumber dishes is his cucumber shrimp salad.
“We mix it with our pickled pickled carrots and daikon, which is a classic Vietnamese pickled radish,” Banh told NPR’s Morning Edition.
He then adds pineapple, cooked shrimp and dried shrimp.
“I think the magic and the secret is dried shrimp,” Banh said. “You just soak it in lukewarm running water for about 30 seconds.”
He tosses it in a dressing made from anchovy fish sauce, water, sugar, garlic and lime juice.
Chef Banh’s vegan cucumber salad:
He usually leaves most if not all of the peel on — unless he’s making his vegan cucumber salad. For that one, he’ll peel and slice a cucumber in half lengthwise, then cut it into pieces diagonally — but save the peels.
Next, he adds water, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar and the cucumber peels to a blender, purees it up and dresses the cucumbers in the vinaigrette.
“And now you’ve got this beautiful green color,” Banh said. “You can marinade this an hour ahead before your party or overnight.”
Chef Bhatt’s Raita:
If you’re craving something creamy, Vishwesh Bhatt, the chef at Snackbar in Oxford, Miss. says make a raita — an Indian yogurt-based sauce.
“It’s very similar to the Turkish or Greek tzatziki,” Bhatt said. “Essentially you take cucumbers, add some chilies or onions and then mix all that with a little lemon juice and yogurt and some toasted cumin and some mustard that’s tempered in oil then folded in,” he said.
Chef Bhatt’s Benedictine spread:
Or — you can make a Benedictine spread, a mayo-based spread from the American South that’s traditionally bright green from food coloring.
Chef Bhatt makes his with cucumbers, fresh dill, parsley, a little bit of garlic and onion — but instead of a mayonnaise base he uses cream cheese, then adds a bit of mascarpone cheese.
“I like the creaminess of the mascarpone,” Bhatt said. “I don’t use food coloring because I don’t think it’s necessary.”
Transcript:
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
It’s almost Labor Day, and that means the end of cucumber season, so if you’re trying to throw together a few more summer salads, listen up.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
LOGAN MOFFITT: Sometimes, you need to eat an entire cucumber. This is the best way to do it.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Social media creator Logan Moffitt is behind a new cucumber craze on TikTok. He uploads near-daily recipe videos. Moffitt slices a cucumber on a mandoline – that’s a slicer – and tosses it with a few essential ingredients.
MARTIN: Social media creator Logan Moffitt is behind a new cucumber craze on TikTok. He uploads near-daily recipe videos. Moffitt slices a cucumber on a mandoline – that’s a slicer – and tosses it with a few essential ingredients.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MOFFITT: Add a bunch of soy sauce, a little sesame oil, one clove of grated garlic, little bit of sugar, MSG obviously, and a little bit of chili crisp.
MARTIN: Then he gives everything a good shake.
MARTIN: Then he gives everything a good shake.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MOFFITT: Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake.
MARTÍNEZ: Moffitt’s videos have inspired TikTok users to create their own takes on cucumber salad. One uses smoked salmon and cream cheese. Another resembles a California roll. Another is drizzled with peanut sauce. Eric Banh is a Chinese – Vietnamese chef from Seattle. He has his own favorite cucumber salad recipe. He starts by peeling and slicing the vegetable – but don’t throw away the peels.
ERIC BANH: So the vinaigrette will be combinations of water, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, and then you put it in a blender, along with those cucumber peels.
MARTIN: For something a little creamier, try making a raita, an Indian yogurt-based dip. Vishwesh Bhatt is the chef at Snackbar in Oxford, Miss.
MARTIN: For something a little creamier, try making a raita, an Indian yogurt-based dip. Vishwesh Bhatt is the chef at Snackbar in Oxford, Miss.
VISHWESH BHATT: It’s very similar to the Turkish or Greek tzatziki. Essentially, you take cucumbers, and then sometimes you can add some chilies or onions and then mix all that with a little lemon juice and yogurt and some toasted cumin and some mustard.
MARTÍNEZ: Or you could make a benedictine spread. It’s a dish from the American South that’s sometimes made with green food coloring. Bhatt makes it differently.
BHATT: Cucumbers, fresh dill, parsley, little bit of garlic, onion, cream cheese, and I also like to add a little mascarpone because I like the creaminess of the mascarpone. I don’t use food coloring because I don’t think it’s necessary.
MARTIN: And if you don’t happen to have mascarpone on hand, just use mayonnaise. But if all this is just too much prep for you, it’s always a good time for a simple cucumber crudite. And if you still have a few cukes left over, drop a slice into a summer cocktail or add a few to plain drinking water. It’s summer in a glass.
MARTIN: And if you don’t happen to have mascarpone on hand, just use mayonnaise. But if all this is just too much prep for you, it’s always a good time for a simple cucumber crudite. And if you still have a few cukes left over, drop a slice into a summer cocktail or add a few to plain drinking water. It’s summer in a glass.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
