Finger Lime Salad with Cucumber & Sesame Soy Dressing (Fresh & Zesty)

Explosive. Zesty. Tart. Native. Caviar. Bushfood. Expressive words to describe the ever so trendy yet ancient Australian finger lime. No better partner than one that lets it shine, the humble cucumber gives crunch and freshness. No cooking required and done in 15 minutes. What a salad!

Cucumber and lime are a classic combination of flavours; for me, it epitomises what a light salad should be. Tossed through with a very simple Asian inspired salad dressing, the sesame oil and soy sauce really brings out the flavours.

For this recipe, we showcase the Australian finger lime. This fruit is growing in popularity both for its flavours and its gorgeous textures. 

What was once a scarce commodity and only ever available to top restaurants they are becoming more and more popular. While they are far from being easily procured, they are becoming easier to find. 

Finger limes are one of Australia’s most exciting native ingredients, and this salad is the perfect way to experience them properly

Crisp cucumber, fresh herbs, and a savoury sesame soy dressing create a clean backdrop for finger lime caviar to shine — bright, zesty, and bursting with citrus pearls. It’s simple, fast, and designed to let the ingredient do the talking.

More importantly, no cooking of any kind is required and done in 15 minutes or less! Love a good no cook salad recipe.

What is Finger Lime?

The finger lime is small and oblong in shape. It’s usually about 7 cm in length and tapers at the end. The skin is thin and slightly smooth with a leathery texture.

Finger limes come in a variety of colours such as yellow, pink, green, purple and even bright red.

The inside of the finger lime has pulp that contains juice vesicles that resemble caviar, hence also commonly dubbed caviar lime. 

These vesicles are interchangeably called pearls and are small pops of dynamite! Each pearl is filled with tangy lime juice and literally pops in your mouth when the thin skin breaks.

Recipe Overview

Flavour/Texture: This finger lime recipe is refreshing both from the tartness of the Australian finger limes and the cooling cucumber. The onion and chilli give it some kick, while the Asian sesame soy dressing is umami and seeps into the cucumber, making them ever so flavoursome.

Crunchy from the chunks of cucumber as well as the peanuts, while delicate from the ribboned cucumber at the same time. 

Ease: With no cooking involved, this is a super easy finger lime salad recipe. All you’ll be doing is cutting and peeling! 

Time: 15 minutes or less will get this finger lime recipe from the kitchen bench to your dinner table.

Ingredients for Finger Lime Salad with Sesame Soy Dressing

Cucumber: In this finger lime recipe, we used long, continental cucumbers. If you can’t get them, 3 Persian or English cucumbers will be fine too. As this is the main ingredient, make sure it’s fresh and crunchy.

Peanuts: Get unsalted roasted peanuts if possible. I find the salted variety too salty and overpowers the salad. 

Red onion: Raw red or Spanish onions are best for this finger lime recipe. Gives the salad a little peppery finish.

Chilli: Wanting to add some heat to this cucumber salad, we added some red chilli. Depending on your tolerance, you can select any chilli that would suit you. Remove the seeds before dicing so it won’t be so spicy.

Finger lime: Any variety of finger lime would work. If possible, you can choose a different selection for different colours. If you get them in a punnet like I did and have plenty left over, you can also try our Scallop Sashimi Salad with Finger Lime.

Sesame oil: Sesame oil is an incredibly fragrant oil where a little goes a long way. Easy to find in supermarkets nowadays. If not, head to the Asian grocer.

Rice wine vinegar: A wonderful ingredient to use in any salad dressing, not just of the Asian variety. This vinegar is less tart and sharp which is great since the Australian finger limes are quite tart on their own.

Soy sauce: This is the epitome of umami, so adding it to the sesame oil and rice wine vinegar makes sense. This sesame soy dressing is a keeper and can be used in so many different salad recipes.

Variations and Substitutions

Red onion substitute: If you find raw red onions too strong, opt for some shallots instead. They are also smaller and easier to slice thinly.

Less heat: You can omit the red chillies if you don’t like spicy food. But if you like a tiny kick, removing the seeds does help in reducing the heat and don’t opt for the small bird’s eye chillies as they can be very spicy!

More heat: On the flip side, if you like spicy dishes, you can get chillies that are much spicier such as habaneros, jalapenos or even the Carolina Reaper!

Black sesame seed substitute: Nigella seeds are a great alternative for black sesame seeds. Also nutty in flavour, it’s a great way to use them up if you have plenty in the pantry.

Gluten free recipe: Substitute soy sauce with tamari to make this a gluten free finger lime recipe.

Peanut free option: If you have a peanut allergy, omit altogether or replace with drupes such as cashews, almonds or pistachios.

Instructions for Finger Lime Salad

How to Make Cucumber Finger Lime Salad

Cut 1 cucumber into diagonal cubes. This means making the first cut at a 45-degree angle to the right, then the next cut at a 45-degree angle to the left. Continue until the whole cucumber is cut.

For the 2nd cucumber, slice into ribbons. Using a wide Y peeler, peel the first layer of skin and discard. Then peel wide strips until you get to the seed. Then repeat on the other side.

Chop peanuts to yield ¼ cup

Roughly chop flat leaf parsley to yield 1 cup.

Slice ½ red onion thinly.

Cut the chilli open and remove the seeds. Dice finely to yield 1 tsp.

Extract the vesicles from 2 finger limes. Just cut in half and gently squeeze the ends and the vesicles will ooze out. Discard the skin.

For the other 2 finger limes, cut in half and squeeze very gently so that only some of the vesicles come out. Leave it as it is with the skin.

How to Make Sesame Soy Dressing

Add all the ingredients of the salad dressing together and mix until well combined.

How To Assemble The Salad

Mix the cucumber, peanuts, red onion, chilli, black sesame seeds and parsley into a mixing bowl. Add half the dressing and toss until well combined.

Place tossed salad onto one side of the plate.

Add droplets of dressing to the empty side of the plate and then add dollops of extracted finger lime vesicles on top.

Add the other 2 opened finger limes with the skin on, on top of the cucumber salad as a showcase of the gorgeous fruit.

Drizzle the rest of the dressing if you want more.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve finger lime recipe immediately as the cucumber will start to water.

How to Make This Salad Perfectly [Expert Tips]

Extract finger lime vesicles gently: Squeeze lightly so the citrus pearls remain intact rather than turning into juice.

Dress sparingly at first: Cucumber releases water quickly, so start with less dressing and add more only if needed

Unsalted peanuts: As the soy sauce in the salad dressing is already salty, adding salted peanuts would make the entire dish too salty. To ensure the flavours are balanced, get unsalted peanuts for this finger lime recipe.

Balance the sesame oil: Too much can overpower the delicate finger lime flavour.

Cut cucumber two ways: Using both cubes and ribbons adds interest and helps the salad feel more composed.

Serve immediately: As the cucumber has a high water content, it’s important that you serve it straight away so it’s nice and fresh. Make it the last thing you put together before your meal commences.

Frequently Asked Questions

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