Filipino Cucumber Salad

When the grill is fired up and the sun's doing the most, you need a side dish that knows how to chill. Enter this Filipino-style cucumber salad—crunchy, tangy, a little sweet, and unapologetically refreshing. It’s the kind of salad that doesn’t try too hard but still steals the spotlight next to your BBQ liempo or chicken inasal. Think of it as the cool cousin at the summer party: low-effort, high-impact, and everyone wants a scoop.

Ingredients:

3 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced (use that mandolin!)

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1 small shallot, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon fish sauce (or soy sauce for vegan version)

2 tablespoons cane vinegar (or rice vinegar)

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon calamansi juice (or lemon/lime)

1 teaspoon sesame oil (optional, but adds depth)

Pinch of red pepper flakes or sliced chili (optional, for heat)

Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

1. Use a mandolin slicer to get super-thin slices of Persian cucumbers and shallots. Halve your cherry tomatoes. Toss them all into a mixing bowl—or straight into a deli container for max efficiency.

2. In a deli container with a lid (or mason jar), add:
fish sauce, cane vinegar, sugar, calamansi juice, sesame oil (if using), pepper, and chili flakes. Seal it tight and shake.

4. Pour the sauce over the veggies (or if it's all in one container—just shake again!). Let it sit for 10–15 minutes so the flavors can meld. It gets better as it sits.

The side dish that steals the show