Chefs' Recipes

Paul Carmichael's cucumber and choko salad

This refreshing salad is a perfect side dish to accompany a slow-roasted lamb or other tender meats. Carmichael uses a mix of chilli and onions to give it that extra spice.

By Paul Carmichael
  • 15 mins preparation plus chilling
  • Serves 10
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"If there is one salad you'll find on a Bajan table other than the classic lettuce, tomato and onion it will be a cucumber concoction of some sort," says Momofuku Seiobo chef Paul Carmichael. "This should be served cold and you can play around with the spice levels. You can also finish it off with a drizzle of nice olive oil."

Ingredients

  • 1 kg Lebanese cucumbers (about 6), peeled and coarsely grated
  • 2 choko, peeled and coarsely grated
  • 2 cups (loosely packed) flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
  • 1 medium-large onion, finely chopped
  • 4 salad onions, stem trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 2 habanero chillies, or to taste, finely chopped
  • 125 ml (½ cup) lime juice (from about 4 juicy limes), or to taste

Method

Main
  • 1
    Combine ingredients in a large bowl, season to taste and refrigerate to chill (1½-2 hours). Before serving, check seasoning – the flavour of the chilled salad should be a balance of sour and salty – and serve.

Notes

Falernum is a sweet, spiced almond and lime syrup; it's available from liquor shops.
Drink Suggestion: A vintage port, such as 2007 Cockburn's quinta dos canais. Drink suggestion by Ambrose Chiang