Mexican Cucumber Salad

I don’t know about you, but when it’s hot and humid in the summer, the last thing I want to do is cook on the stove or use the oven. With the amount of delicious fresh produce I have been getting from our CSA and our garden, I have been able to make a lot of cool and refreshing salads, though. The catch is, I’m not a big fan of lettuce, so I am always trying to find new and interesting lettuce-less salads.

Last week, I came across this Black Bean and Cucumber Salad from Savor the Thyme.  When I saw the salad, I was immediately reminded of the Grilled Corn and Black Bean Salad that I frequently make. It seems that we have gotten cucumbers in our CSA share almost every week, and I have been struggling to use them up.  So, I decided to combine the two ideas into a Mexican Cucumber Salad with corn, black beans, and tomatoes.  It also gave me a good excuse to use some of the hot peppers growing in my garden!

Mexican Cucumber Salad

  • 1 large cucumber, diced
  • 3 small ears of corn, cut off the cob (grilled, if you like – it was raining so I just steamed the corn)
  • 2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
  • 1/2 red onion, diced
  • 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
  • 1 red cherry pepper, seeded and minced
  • 14.5 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 limes
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2-3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

In a large bowl, combine the cucumber, corn, tomatoes, onion, jalapeño, red cherry pepper, and black beans.

Zest the two limes, and place the zest in a small bowl.  Squeeze the juice from both of the limes into the bowl.  Add the ground cumin, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Whisk until smooth to create a dressing.

Pour the dressing over the cucumber, black bean, and corn mixture.  Add the chopped cilantro, and toss to combine.  Garnish with additional cilantro, if desired.

26 comments

  1. Chris says:

    Great recipe! A bit heavy on the limes, though. Would do a half and half with rice vinegar. Definitely fresh cilantro for great flavor.

    1. Chris – Thanks for the suggestion. I must admit that I am a fan of limes and do tend to go heavy on the lime, at times. I agree that half and half with rice vinegar would be delicious!

  2. maria says:

    I love the addition of cucumber! Great for summer!

  3. What an excellent salad! Your creativity is great as well as your photographs…share secrets?

    1. Jennifer – Thanks again for the inspiration on this one! As far as creativity and photographs… it’s all just trial and error (and natural, diffused light… for the photographs).

  4. jenn says:

    This is definitely a great lettuce-less recipe. Though, I do like lettuce. ;-) Another salad to add to my list.

  5. Vicki says:

    That looks delicious. I was making plans to hit the farmers’ market tomorrow afternoon, and corn and cilantro are now on the list. Nice photos, too.

  6. What a fantastic summery tex mex style salad….yum!

  7. courtney says:

    This looks delicious, I will be giving this one a go!

  8. A delightful and refreshing salad! Definitely good in this hot weather!

  9. Chou says:

    Chris–nah, 2 limes seems perfect. :)

    Jen, this looks like a wonderful summer treat. Thanks for sharing.

  10. Reeni says:

    How delicious this looks. So colorful and hearty! I love limes – I would make it as is!

  11. I love how colorful this salad is, it also looks so delicious. I will definitely be making this!

  12. Beautiful site and wonderful cucumber salad. My garden is just about bursting with cucumbers right now, so finding this website was a Godsend! Thank you! Not only is this Mexican Cucumber Salad going to be just the thing I need to use up my ripe cucumbers, but I’ve been drooling over the pictures, too! All your pictures are really fantastic eye-candy.

  13. Cucinista says:

    Love the ingredients and the photos are great. I have been making a lot of these easy summer salads.

  14. Erica says:

    I love all the flavors! Looks fantastic.

  15. Divin says:

    That’s a really refreshing salad.

  16. leslie says:

    Mmmmm.mighty tasty. Reminds me of my Texas Caviar

  17. grace says:

    gorgeous salad! i think the heavy dose of lime juice and the very presence of cilantro are the best things about it. oh, and the beans. black beans rule.

  18. Michele says:

    This looks great! I love fresh cilantro and lime — what a nice addition with the cucumber.

  19. dannaj says:

    Made your recipe for a dinner party this past weekend and it was a hit. We had grilled chicken and beef tacos. It was used as a side salad, but a few folks put it straight on their tacos as a garnish. Y-U-M-M-Y! Love this recipe. Thanks!

  20. Wanda Cox says:

    I love anything with lime & cilantro. I could eat this everyday. These pictures look great and make me want to make this dish right now.
    Thanks for sharing! Wanda

  21. Jennifer says:

    I made this and took it to work and everyone just loved it. Made it again for the ones that missed out the first time. What a hit!!

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