Donal Skehan’s must-try simple summer salads

From the cool and refreshing sesame cucumber salad, which relies on Asian staple pantry ingredients, to the zesty and creamy elote charred corn salad, which takes its inspiration from classic Mexican street food, and the warm, fragrant spice-crusted lamb with white bean and tomato salad, each of these recipes will see you through the warmer months.

The sesame cucumber salad is a side dish I serve with Korean pork shoulder but works wonderfully as part of any summer feast. If you come to my house at this time of year, a platter of cucumbers will always be on the menu — sprinkled with za’atar, dressed with extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice, maybe some herbs from the garden; I love them whatever way takes my fancy on a given day. They also provide the perfect respite from salty or rich meals and particularly barbecue meats.

Elote charred corn salad is a fresh, vibrant dish. Elote, meaning ‘corn on the cob’ in Spanish, is a popular snack in Mexico, typically enjoyed grilled and coated with mayonnaise, lime juice, chilli powder, and cotija cheese. This salad captures the essence of elote by charring corn kernels and combining them with creamy avocado, tangy feta and a zesty lime dressing. Great with any barbecue.

As light al-fresco meals go, this spice-crusted lamb with white bean and tomato salad is as easy as it gets, providing maximum results for minimal effort. My advice is to get the best quality of ingredients you can as this recipe only really relies on three hero items — Irish summer lamb, tomatoes and beans (fine from a tin but all the more spectacular if you go to the effort of soaking and simmering yourself). You can do this with lamb gigot chops or ask your butcher for lamb neck fillets, both best cooked over hot coals.

Sesame Cucumber Salad

Serves: 2, as a side dish

Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp gochujang
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 cucumber
• Chinese cabbage, roughly shredded
• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced

Method

1. Whisk the sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, soy, gochujang and sesame seeds together in a large bowl until the sugar has dissolved.

2. Thinly slice the cucumber on a mandolin and add to a large bowl along with the cabbage and spring onions. Toss to coat the cabbage and cucumber in the dressing and serve.

Elote Charred Corn Salad with Avocado, Feta and Lime

Serves: 4, as a side dish

Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• Neutral oil, for frying
• 4 corn on the cobs, kernels shaved
• 75g butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 50g mayonnaise
• 75g feta, crumbled, plus extra for garnish
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced
• 30g jalapenos, finely chopped
• 1 lime, juice and zest
• 1 tsp chipotle paste
• 2 sweetheart lettuce, leaves separated
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 6 radishes, thinly sliced on a mandoline
• Handful of fresh coriander leaves
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large wok over a high heat and, when hot, add the corn kernels and season with a little salt, then toss a couple of times to coat in the oil. Cook until charred, tossing occasionally to ensure the kernels are browned all over. Add the butter and garlic and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant. Transfer to a large bowl.

2. Add the mayonnaise, feta, spring onions, jalapenos, lime juice and zest and chipotle paste to the bowl with the hot corn and toss together until the corn is well coated.

3. Place the lettuce, avocado and radishes on a serving platter and then spoon the corn mixture over. Finish with some extra crumbled feta and the coriander leaves and serve immediately.

Spice-Crusted Lamb with White Bean & Tomato Salad

Serves: 4

Time: 30 minutes

For the lamb:

• 1 tbsp fennel seeds
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• Generous pinch of dried chilli flakes
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 x 150g lamb neck fillets
• 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lemon, zest and juice
• Handful of fresh basil leaves

For the white bean and puy bean salad:

• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 red onion, finely sliced
• 1 x 400g tin white beans (such as cannellini or butter beans), drained and rinsed
• 1 x 400g tin puy lentils, drained and rinsed

For the tomato salad:

• 500g ripe vine tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
• Small handful fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Method

1. First up, make the spice mix. Roughly crush the fennel, cumin and coriander seeds alongside the chilli flakes in a pestle and mortar and generously season with sea salt.

2. Add the lamb to a bowl and dust liberally with about half of the spice mix, scatter over the chopped garlic, and 2 tbsp of the olive oil and the lemon zest. Gently toss to cover the lamb and leave aside.

3. For the bean salad, in a large bowl, add the garlic, red wine vinegar and olive oil, season with salt and pepper and mix well. Add in the red onion along with the white beans and puy lentils. Toss well.

4. Into another bowl, add tomatoes, sprigs of thyme and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

5. Heat a pan over a high heat. Once it reaches a high temperature, sear the lamb on each side for 2-3 minutes. Remove and leave to rest.

6. To the hot pan, add lemon juice, about 3 tbsp of olive oil, the remainder of your spice mixture and stir well, allowing to cook for a moment. Take off the heat and spoon 3-4 tablespoons over the tomatoes.

7. Thinly slice the lamb steaks and add back into the spiced oil mixture in the pan, allowing to fully coat and absorb the oil.

8. Put the tomatoes and beans on a serving platter and add the lamb on top.

9. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and a final drizzle of olive oil.