A Weekend in Savannah
I sated my desire for a thick tomato sauce with the creamy, luscious arancini with a delicately spicy pepperoni sauce, and then followed it up with a walk on the lighter side, a salad. The cucumber and burrata salad sounded like a nice non-leafy alternative that wouldn’t weigh me down with the heat of the afternoon building outside, and a full day of walking through the city’s historic district in my plans.
Both plates arrived at the same time, thanks to my nonchalance with the server, “Sure, bring out whichever comes first!” I was sipping on a bellini, because I felt I needed something boozy for a weekend brunch in Savannah, a solo trip dedicated to walking, reading, eating, and anything I wanted whenever I wanted without considering anyone else’s wants or needs. In other words, the perfect vacation.
But this salad was about to transform my day. As I thoughtfully ate each bite, I realized how much of a study in contrasts this simple plate was. Here’s the ingredients laid out:
Cucumber, a ball of burrata, wasabi peas, pea shoots, mint leaves, benne seeds, white balsamic chili crisp vinaigrette.
You’ve got the heat from the wasabi peas and the chili crisp. The cool from the cucumbers and the mint. Crunch from the cucumber and wasabi peas. Creamy softness from the split open burrata ball. Sweetness from the light white balsamic. And delicate wisps of pea shoots that probably grew in a small garden behind the kitchen (speculation of course, but you can’t serve pea shoots without cutting your own fresh ones, right?).
I knew as I dragged my fork containing one last cucumber wedge through the remaining chili crisp vinaigrette and the last dregs of mozzarella cream, that this salad couldn’t just be a one thing from this trip to Savannah. It had to be recreated so I could relive this trip over and over every time I made it at home. Tis the season, the mint leaves in my unruly herb garden shooting back up from the mess of crushed dead oak leaves that kept the roots safe from an unusually cold winter for South Carolina.
A note: When you make this, the amounts of ingredients don’t really matter, except for the vinaigrette proportions. I don’t want you out here measuring two tablespoons of chopped mint leaves, use your palate and the photos to guide you!
Cucumber and Burrata Salad with a White Balsamic Chili Crisp Vinaigrette
Ingredients
White Balsamic Chili Crisp Vinaigrette
- 5 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chili onion crisp (like Trader Joe's or Momofuku brand)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- salt to taste
Salad
- 3 mini cucumbers, diced
- 1/4 cup wasabi peas
- 1/2 cup snow pea microgreens (or freshly cut pea shoots)
- 1 tablespoon white and/or black sesame seeds or a mix
- 2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
Instructions
Make the Vinagrette
- Put all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar. Cover tightly and shake vigorously until emulsified.
- You can make this ahead of time and refrigerate for a day or two. Remove 15 minutes before making the salad so it can come up to room temperature. Shake again before using.
Construct the Salad
- Scatter the cucumber quarters on a plate.
- Use a spoon to drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette, or to taste, over the cucumbers.
- Scatter the wasabi peas, mint and pea shoots amongst the cucumber.
- Place the burrata ball in the middle of the plate. Sprinkle the sesame seeds, concentrating them over the burrata, then the rest of the salad.
- Finish with a turn of salt and serve immediately.
Some Substitutions and Where to Find These Ingredients
Look, I’m not dumb, I know these ingredients can be a bit lofty and probably not hanging out on the shelves at your local Walmart. So here are some suggestions for where to find and some substitutions when possible.
Wasabi Peas
Guess where they aren’t? Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe’s, Earth Fare. But they are at your local well-stocked Asian market, which is where I found mine. Or Amazon. You can get hot wasabi pas or ones that are roasted and battered but not hot.
Burrata
You can find burrata at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Lowe’s Foods, Aldi, Lidl, or any grocery store with a high-quality cheese selection.
Mini Cucumbers
I love the mini cucumbers you can find out these days! But honestly, any cucumber cut into small enough pieces is the same as any other. Smaller just looks cuter.
Pea Shoots
I substituted freshly grown pea shoots with snow pea microgreens. But finding those was a luck of the draw, as my Whole Foods carries locally grown City Roots microgreens and they happened to have snow pea ones in stock. You can substitute these with most types of microgreens but of course pea shoots complement the wasabi peas. Or you know, grow your own.
Chili Crisp
Trader Joe’s has it’s own brand, you can find Momofuku or Fly by Jing brands in Whole Foods and other high-end grocers.
White Balsamic Vinegar
Yeah I am going to ask you to buy a different colored balsamic vinegar. Why? Because white balsamic vinegar is lighter in both color and flavor, bringing a specific sweetness to this dish that regular balsamic vinegar just won’t. Trust me, worth it. Again, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, any high-end grocer.
Trust me, this salad is transcendental. I absolutely feel like I nailed it on the first try with recreating it. I ate it up quickly, too quickly to share with anyone else. Luckily, burrata is generally sold in doubles, and there’s plenty of all of the other ingredients to make it again and again to bring back that feeling of sitting in Savannah, without a care in the world.
If you cannot make it to Veratina, next to the lovely Forsyth Park, rearrange your life to make it happen. Or make this salad, then rearrange your life.
