Almond Free Basil-Pesto Radish & Cucumber Salad
Bright, herby, and refreshingly crisp, this salad is the kind of dish that looks stunning on a table without demanding much from the cook. Thinly sliced cucumbers and radishes get a quick salt rest to draw out excess moisture, which means the pesto clings to every slice instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl. The pesto itself is the real star — built from packed fresh basil, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, and good olive oil, it comes together in a food processor in minutes and delivers that vivid, garden-fresh flavor without any nuts in sight. Traditional pesto almost always calls for pine nuts or almonds, so finding a version that skips them entirely without sacrificing depth or richness is genuinely exciting. The lemon juice keeps things bright and lifts the whole dish, while the radishes add a peppery bite that plays beautifully against the cool cucumber. It's the kind of salad you'll want to bring to every warm-weather gathering, and nobody will miss what isn't there.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the pesto
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
For the salad
- 2 medium english cucumbers, thinly sliced into rounds
- 1 bunch radishes (about 10–12), thinly sliced
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
For serving
- 2 tbsp fresh basil leaves, torn (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Place the cucumber rounds and sliced radishes in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt, toss to coat, and let stand for 10 minutes until the vegetables release some of their liquid.
- 2
While the vegetables rest, combine the basil leaves, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, and sea salt in a food processor. Pulse 8–10 times until the herbs are roughly chopped.
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