Crisp cucumber ribbons in a tangy, garlicky rice vinegar dressing with chili flakes and sesame. The cooling crunch makes it a natural offset for spicy or fatty bases.←Back to Taco Topping Recipes
1 whole English cucumber, peeled into ribbons
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp honey
2 whole garlic cloves, minced
0.5 tsp red chili flakes
0.25 tsp kosher salt
Use a vegetable peeler to create long cucumber ribbons, stopping when you hit the seedy center.
Whisk together rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, minced garlic, and chili flakes in a bowl.
Toss the cucumber ribbons with the dressing and add salt to taste.
Let it marinate for 10 minutes to let the flavors meld—patience pays off here.
Give it one final toss before serving to redistribute all that good dressing.
Chef's Notes
English cucumbers (the long ones wrapped in plastic) are the right choice here because they're virtually seedless and have thinner skin than regular slicing cucumbers. You can skip peeling entirely if you want. Persian cucumbers also work beautifully. For the ribbons, run a vegetable peeler down the length of the cucumber, rotating as you go, and stop when you hit the seedy core. If your peeler isn't cooperating, a mandoline on a thin setting creates beautiful uniform ribbons, though it also creates opportunities for finger injury — proceed with focus. Salt the ribbons lightly, let them drain in a colander for 10-15 minutes, then pat dry. Cucumbers are mostly water and will dilute your dressing if you skip this. Rice vinegar is milder and sweeter than distilled white vinegar; find it in the Asian aisle. The toasted sesame oil should smell like an Asian restaurant in the best way — if yours smells like nothing, it's either light sesame oil or has gone rancid. This relish is best within a few hours of making, when the cucumbers are still crisp. It's called dragon relish because, well, look at it. The name earns out.
Into This Topping? Remix It!
Cucumber Dragon Relish is a taco topping recipe — the layer that builds on your base and shifts the whole direction of your taco. It can echo what's already there or pull it into completely different territory. Hit remix to see how this recipe pairs with different bases and finishes. The same topping can make a dozen different tacos.Take Cucumber Dragon Relish into the Summoning Circle and shuffle it with hundreds of other taco components to create your perfect taco.
Community Ratings
No ratings yet
No reviews yet. Be the first to review this recipe!
