Avocado, cucumber and sesame salsa

Lovely and light, this is a beautiful way to eat your morning avocado. The salsa is a great side for lots of other meals - say on top of a cold soba noodle salad, or toast.

Credit: Savannah van der Niet

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp caster (superfine) sugar
• ½ red onion, very thinly sliced
• 2 ripe avocados
• 1 small Lebanese (short) cucumber (or one-third of a telegraph/continental cucumber), halved lengthways, then sliced into very thin half-moons
• 1 tbsp white sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp black sesame seeds (or more white sesame seeds)
• 2 tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise
• 1 tsp wasabi paste

Serves 4-6 as a side.

Instructions

1. Combine the sesame oil, vinegar, soy sauce and sugar in a small bowl. Add the onion slices and mix well to ensure every piece is separated and coated in the marinade. Set aside for 10–15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, halve the avocados and remove the stones. Cut the flesh into 1–2 cm (½–¾ inch) pieces and place in a bowl, along with the cucumber.
3. Warm a frying pan over low heat and add the sesame seeds. Cook, stirring for a few minutes, until the white seeds begin to turn golden brown. Add a pinch of salt and set aside to cool slightly.
4. Scoop the onion out of the marinade and add it to the avocado mixture. Add the mayonnaise and wasabi paste to the remaining marinade and whisk well to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking.
5. Add most of the toasted sesame seeds to the avocado mixture and toss gently to combine. Drizzle the sauce over the avocado mixture and gently fold to coat.
6. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the remaining toasted sesame seeds.

 

Recipe and images from The Shared Table by Clare Scrine, Smith Street Books, RRP $39.99

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.