Vegetarian
20130610-pickled-vegetable-salad-cucumber-snap-pea-mushroom-pecorino-1.jpg

[Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

About the author: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is the Chief Creative Officer of Serious Eats where he likes to explore the science of home cooking in his weekly column The Food Lab. You can follow him at @thefoodlab on Twitter, or at The Food Lab on Facebook.

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About This Recipe

Yield: Serves 4
Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • Kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup white vinegar
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 cucumber, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch dice
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 ounces hon-shimeji mushrooms, trimmed
  • 4 ounces snap peas, trimmed and split crosswise at a bias
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large head red leaf lettuce, leafed, washed, and carefully dried
  • 3 ounces crumbled pecorino cheese
  • Black pepper

Procedures

  1. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, combine vinegar, 3/4 cups water, sugar, and a large pinch salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring. Remove from heat, then add cucumber, onions, and mushrooms to pot and cover with a clean dish towel or paper towel directly in contact with the surface. Set aside for ten minutes.

  2. Meanwhile, blanch snap peas in boiling water until bright green but still crisp, about 1 minute. Transfer to a strainer or colander and run under cold water until chilled.

  3. Strain pickled cucumbers, onions, and mushrooms through a fine mesh strainer or colander, reserving 2 tablespoons pickling liquid. Run pickles under cold water until chilled. Transfer snap peas and pickles to a paper towel-lined rimmed baking sheet and dry carefully.

  4. Combine mustard and reserved pickling liquid in a large bowl. Whisk in olive oil. Add lettuce, pickles, snap peas, and cheese. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine and dress evenly. Serve immediately.