Have you tried the whole cucumber salads going viral on TikTok? This sliced cucumber California roll salad is so worth making!
If you like California rolls, you'll love this easy dish. It's fresh, creamy, crispy, and has lots of great flavor!
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This recipe is a viral TikTok hit, initially shared by the cucumber guy, Logan Moffit. Logan has been sharing almost daily videos of recipes for whole cucumber salads. Logan's known for his fantastic Korean recipes and I've been a follower and huge fan of his content for several years, so it's so exciting to see his huge success recently with this fun series!
Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to make a California roll salad!
- English Cucumber - use the freshest, crispiest cucumber you can find as it's the star ingredient in this recipe! Here's how to tell if a cucumber is going bad. I highly recommend using an English cucumber as they don't need to be deseeded or peeled. You can also use several small Persian cucumbers if you'd prefer.
- Crab - you'll use several imitation crab sticks for this recipe. You can certainly use fresh cooked crab, but imitation is much cheaper and tastes great in this recipe!
- Avocado - you'll need half a large avocado for this recipe. It adds a wonderful creaminess to the salad.
- Kewpie Mayonnaise - kewpie mayo is a fantastic Japanese mayo that's very rich and custardy. You can substitute for regular mayo, but it doesn't have as much richness as kewpie.
- Whipped Cream Cheese - I highly recommend using whipped cream cheese over regular cream cheese because it's lighter and much easier to shake and disperse the cucumbers!
- Soy Sauce - using soy gives this salad a lovely umami hit and some saltiness. You can substitute for coconut aminos as well.
- Sesame Seeds - you can use white or black sesame seeds in this recipe (I used both, and used them to top the salad before serving as well). If you do use white sesame seeds, I suggest the toasted ones as they are crunchier and have great flavor.
- Optional Ingredient - Logan uses a sprinkle of MSG in his recipe for additional umami! I didn't have any on hand so didn't use it this time.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Using a mandolin or sharp knife, slice cucumber into ⅛-inch thick slices.
Add the sliced cucumber, diced crab, diced avocado, mayo, cream cheese, soy sauce, and sesame seeds to a large deli container or glass jar.
Cover and shake till all the ingredients are combined.
Eat immediately, either directly from the jar or serve in a bowl and top with additional sesame seeds to garnish.
Tips for Making this Recipe
Preparation Tips - If you've never used a mandolin before to slice vegetables, be very careful! It's very easy to cut your finger as the blade is extremely sharp. You can wear cut-proof gloves to protect your hands.
Specialty Ingredients - you can find Kewpie mayonnaise at most Asian grocery stores and online.
Storage
I highly recommend eating this salad immediately after you make it when the cucumber is crispy! If you have leftovers, they will save for a day or two in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container.
More Tasty Cucumber Recipes
Check out all our favorite cucumber recipes, or make one of these favorites!
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California Roll Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 1 large English cucumber
- 4 imitation crab sticks diced
- ½ avocado diced
- 2 tablespoons Kewpie mayo
- 2 tablespoons whipped cream cheese
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Using a mandolin or sharp knife, slice cucumber into ⅛ inch thick slices.
- Add the sliced cucumber, diced crab, diced avocado, mayo, cream cheese, soy sauce, and sesame seeds to a large deli container or glass jar. Cover and shake till all the ingredients are combined.
- Eat immediately either directly from the jar or serve in a bowl and top with additional sesame seeds to garnish.
Diane Neher says
I’ll make this!