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    You are here: Home / Recipes / Menu / Salads / Plum & Cucumber Salad with Roasted Ginger Vinaigrette

    Plum & Cucumber Salad with Roasted Ginger Vinaigrette

    Apr 18, 2019 · 5 Comments

    368 shares
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    This roasted ginger dressing is smoky, spicy, aromatic, funky, sweet, and complex, making for a very extraordinary, deliciously healthy spring and summer plum salad!

    Plum & Cucumber Salad with Roasted Ginger Vinaigrette all done, topped with cilantro and crispy shallots.

    I’ve been a long-time avid fan of fresh ginger! I’ve enjoyed this healthy and delicious plant so many different ways. Chopped and added to sautés or dressings, steeped in boiling water for tea, grated to add some spice to desserts….but broiled whole with the skin on and put just like that into the food processor?!?! Honestly the thought has never even crossed my mind! Until I came across this salad on Bon Appetit that is. And it absolutely positively totally blew my mind away!

    Why this Recipe Works

    • No need to deal with peeling ginger. Use whole… peel and all!
    • The smoky roasted ginger vinaigrette is balanced by the spicy bitter greens, the sweetness in the plums, the brightness of the cucumbers, and the richness of the crispy fried shallots.
    • Eat no more boring salads! There’s a whole wide range of complex textures and flavors going on in here.
    • This salad is everything a summer dish should be: flavorful, light, totally satisfying, and starring seasonal produce (plums!).
    • If plums aren’t in season, they can easily be swapped for another fruit or even veggie!

    This salad is a great way to eat your colors and it’s every bit as delicious as it is healthy!

    The possibilities for this charred ginger paste are endless. Have ideas of a dish it would go wonderfully on?!?! I wanna know too! Please share your idea with me in the comments below.

    What is Mizuna?

    Mizuna, also called Japanese Mustard Green, has a mild peppery flavor, slightly similar to arugula but is less spicy. If you can’t find any just sub in arugula instead.

    How to Make this Recipe

    Whole ginger, peel and all, is put under the broiler for 45 min until it’s blackened all over (it ain't pretty folks). The blackened ginger and the rest of the dressing ingredients are pulsed in a food processor until a smooth paste forms. Crisp up the shallots. Wash greens and cilantro, slice up cucumbers and plums. Arrange all. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds. Enjoy!

    Please enjoy these step-by-step images showing how to assemble the salad.

    Mizuna lettuce. Undressed and close up shot.
    Wash those greens.
    Mizuna lettuce tossed with roasted ginger vinaigrette.
    Toss with dressing.
    Mizuna lettuce topped with cucumbers.
    Add sliced cucumbers.
    Mizuna lettuce topped with cucumbers and plums.
    And plums too.

    Cooks Tips

    • Scrub that ginger well since we’re eating the peal too!
    • If you have a mandolin, use it for the cucumbers and shallots. If no, slice as thinly as possible with a knife.
    • The Mizuna can easily be replaced by arugula (or another peppery green).
    • Keep a close eye on those shallots and remove ‘em from the heat when they’re lightly golden! Remember they’ll continue cooking a bit after removal from the pan.
    • Make extra shallots! And try ‘em sprinkled over other savory dishes.
    • Dressing can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.
    • Crispy shallots can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 months.
    • When possible, buy local and organic produce.

    Stoked on more summer salad recipes? I got YOU with LOTS! Check out my:

    • Summer Salad Ideas
    • Strawberry Burrata Panzanella with Basil and Little Gems
    • Stone Fruit & Crispy Prosciutto Salad
    • Stone Fruit Salad with Burrata 
    • Caramelized Fig Salad with with Prosciutto and Blue Cheese

    Have ya tried this recipe? I’d love to hear about it and see it too! Please leave a comment below and take a pic and tag it on Instagram with #chefdanielagerson. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see more colorfully delicious food and all sorts of awesome adventures!

    Let’s get our broiled ginger game on friends and lets make waves in the kitchen!

    Plum & Cucumber Salad with Roasted Ginger Vinaigrette all done, topped with cilantro and crispy shallots.
    Print Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    Plum & Cucumber Salad with Roasted Ginger Vinaigrette

    This roasted ginger dressing is smoky, spicy, aromatic, funky, sweet, and complex, making for a very extraordinary, deliciously healthy spring and summer plum salad!
    Prep Time20 minutes mins
    Total Time20 minutes mins
    Course: Salad
    Cuisine: Asian Fusion, Californian
    Servings: 4
    Author: Daniela Gerson

    Ingredients

    For the Salad

    • 4 plums pitted and cut into 1” wedges sliced (can sub another stone fruit)
    • 7 oz Mizuna can sub with arugula or another peppery green
    • 3 shallots thinly sliced
    • 2 tbsp canola oil to crisp up the shallots
    • 1 English cucumber thinly sliced
    • 1/4 cup cilantro loosely packed
    • 1 tbsp black sesame seeds

    For the Roasted Ginger Vinaigrette

    • 8 ounces fresh ginger
    • 1 Thai chili green or red
    • 1 garlic clove
    • 3 tbsp fish sauce omit it vegan
    • 2 tbsp brown sugar
    • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
    • 1 tbsp soy sauce
    • Zest & Juice 1-2 limes to taste
    • 1 tbsp water

    Instructions

    • Heat broiler. Broil ginger, skin and all, until blackened and beginning to scorch in places and a paring knife passes through the center with relative ease, 40–50 minutes.
    • Slice ginger (yep the skin is still on) and pulse in a food processor with… ginger, chili, garlic, fish sauce, sugar, oil, and 2 Tbsp. water in a food processor, adding additional water by tablespoonful’s if needed, until a smooth paste forms.
    • Thinly slice shallots. Combine shallots and oil in a saucepan over high heat and cook, stirring constantly, as shallots fry. When shallots are a light golden brown, transfer to a paper towel lined plate and season with salt. Shallots will continue cooking a bit after you remove them from the pan so don’t let them get to dark before doing so. Allow to cool to room temperature, then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 months.
    • Arrange Mizuna (or arugula) in a large salad bowl or tray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss with the dressing (to taste). I like to first toss the greens and then add the sliced cucumbers, plums and cilantro tossing again gently with your hands.
    • Top salad with crispy shallots and black sesame seeds over the salad and enjoy!

    Notes

    • Scrub that ginger well since we’re eating the peal too!
    • If you have a mandolin, use it for the cucumbers and shallots. If no, slice as thinly as possible with a knife.
    • The Mizuna can easily be replaced by arugula (or another peppery green).
    • Keep a close eye on those shallots and remove ‘em from the heat when they’re lightly golden! Remember they’ll continue cooking a bit after removal from the pan.
    • Make extra shallots! And try ‘em sprinkled over other savory dishes.
    • Dressing can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.
    • Crispy shallots can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 months.
    • When possible, buy local and organic produce.
    Plum & Cucumber Salad with Roasted Ginger Vinaigrette Recipe all done with cucumbers, plums, crispy shallots, greens, cilantro and dressing!
    « Fresh Peas & Roasted Radishes with Burrata
    Veggie Rainbow Quinoa Bowl with Ginger Tahini Drizzle »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jacqueline Gerson says

      September 20, 2018 at 11:48 pm

      5 stars
      So fresh, healthy and delicious ??

      Reply
      • Daniela says

        September 20, 2018 at 11:58 pm

        Thank you so much! Love and appreciate your feedback :).

        Reply
    2. Nia says

      September 12, 2020 at 10:03 pm

      5 stars
      This is very very good. “No more boring salads” is accurate. Only thing is there’s too much fish sauce for my liking. 1 tbsp would be enough.

      Reply
      • Daniela Gerson says

        September 29, 2020 at 11:51 am

        Thanks so much for the feedback Nia! Haven't made this salad in a while + will update the recipe. Really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts :)!

        Reply

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    Meet Daniela

    VEGGIES ARE SEXY 

    Hi, I'm Daniela - a Los Angeles based food photographer and creative director. I began my career as a chef with a passion for sourcing colorful produce from local markets. I love emphasizing the beauty of real food with my images. I’m also a food stylist and recipe developer with a gorgeous prop-filled studio in Venice, California.

    Daniela Gerson Photography

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