"For this wonderfully refreshing summer salad, diced cucumber and onion are cured with salt for about 30 minutes, which draws moisture from the cucumber and makes it crunchy. I like to use mild white Vidalia or Maui onions, which give a good crunch but not a strong, sharp taste. I season the salad with sour cream and Tabasco, but it can also be dressed with oil and vinegar." --Jacques Pépin

Recipe: Cucumber, Onion, and Mint Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 large English (seedless) cucumber (about 1 pound)
1 cup diced (1⁄2-inch) mild onion
1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons shredded fresh mint leaves
1⁄2 cup sour cream
 1⁄2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Instructions:

Peel the cucumber and cut it lengthwise in half. Using the tip of a teaspoon, scrape out the seeds. Cut the flesh into 1⁄2-inch dice. (You should have about 2 1⁄2 cups.)
Combine the cucumber and diced onion in a bowl, sprinkle with the salt, and mix well. Let cure for 30 minutes.
Drain the cucumber mixture in a colander and pat dry with paper towels. Combine with the rest of the ingredients and serve.

Recipe from Heart & Soul in the Kitchen by Jacques Pépin. Copyright © 2015 by Jacques Pépin. Used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Cucumber, Onion, and Mint Salad