Carrageenan Free Mediterranean Cucumber and Olive Salad
Bright, herby, and impossibly refreshing, this Mediterranean salad is the kind of dish that makes you feel like you're eating on a sun-drenched terrace somewhere along the Aegean coast. Crisp English cucumbers, briny Kalamata olives, and a tangle of fresh parsley and mint come together with a zippy lemon-turmeric dressing that's genuinely hard to stop eating. The quick salting and patting-dry step for the cucumbers is a small move that makes a big difference, keeping everything crisp rather than watery by the time it hits the table. For anyone navigating carrageenan concerns, packaged dressings and store-bought olive products can be a real minefield — this recipe sidesteps all of that by building everything from scratch with whole, recognizable ingredients. Extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, garlic, and a pinch of turmeric are all you need to create a dressing that's clean, vibrant, and completely free of the thickeners and additives that sneak into so many bottled alternatives. The olives go straight from the jar to the bowl with no mystery ingredients in between. It's the kind of salad that works as a light lunch, a side for grilled fish or chicken, or an easy addition to a mezze spread — and it comes together in just a few minutes of prep.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 2 english cucumbers (about 1 ½ lb total), halved lengthwise and sliced into ¼-inch half-moons
- ¾ cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
- ⅓ cup thinly sliced red onion
- ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves, roughly torn
- 1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves, roughly chopped (optional)
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 small clove garlic, finely minced
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
Instructions
- 1
Place the sliced cucumber in a colander set over the sink, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and toss to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes, then pat dry with paper towels.
- 2
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, turmeric, and 1/2 tsp salt until the dressing is uniform and slightly emulsified.
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