Blistered Cucumbers with Spicy Seeds

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 10 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 2 Servings

When juicy, crunchy produce hits a scorching-hot pan or the grill, something good happens. Think about blistered watermelon, pineapple, zucchini, or tomatoes. Just the part touching the hot, hot heat softens and then blisters to a char, while the rest of the ingredient stays mostly raw. That means that in one bite, you get an exciting mix of hot and cool, crunch and caramelization. With this in mind, a blistered cucumber doesn’t sound so weird, does it? It actually starts to sound good. (Spoiler: It is.)

Ingredients

4 Persian or mini seedless cucumbers
1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and set aside.
Toast the sesame seeds in a cast iron skillet over medium heat until lightly golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. Add the cumin and coriander to the skillet and toast until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a spice grinder or mortar and pestle and grind until the seeds are just cracked. Transfer to the bowl of sesame seeds and add the red pepper flakes.
Wipe out the skillet and pat the cucumbers dry. Heat the oil in the skillet over high heat until shimmering. Add the cucumbers cut side down, and cook until browned, about 4 minutes.
Transfer to a cutting board, cut each piece in half lengthwise, then serve with the spicy seeds for dunking or sprinkling over.