This is a cucumber and tomato salad but it ain’t boring! Mix in tangy tamarillo, aromatic basil, creamy crumbled goat cheese and top with toasted panko breadcrumbs, you have a tasty salad worth sharing.
Make a small cross at the bottom of tamarillo and place in a large heatproof bowl. Pour boiling water over the tamarillos until they are fully submerged in water. Leave in hot water for about 3-4 minutes. Remove tamarillos and run under cold water. The skin where you have cut would have curled a little. Use a sharp knife, peel the skin back and remove. Cut the tamarillo into 6 wedges. Set aside.
Wash cherry tomatoes and slice in half.
Wash cucumbers, cut into quarters and slice into 1 cm rounds.
Remove basil leaves to yield ½ cup.
Thinly slice red onion into half moons.
Remove marinated goat cheese packaging and break into smaller pieces.
Over low-medium heat, place panko breadcrumbs, crushed garlic, lemon zest and grated parmesan in a large fry pan. Gently dry toast until golden brown. Remove from heat.
Salad Dressing
In a mason jar, add red wine vinegar, dried oregano, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and shake until combined.
Assembly
In a large mixing bowl, add cucumbers, tomatoes, tamarillos, sliced red onion, basil leaves and half of the crumbled marinated goat cheese.
Dress salad with oregano vinaigrette and gently toss together.
Place dressed salad on a large serving platter and top with remaining crumbled goat cheese.
Scatter toasted panko breadcrumbs on top.
Serve immediately.
Notes
If tamarillo is not in season, you can substitute with large green or heirloom tomatoes for a different texture and flavour to cherry tomatoes.
Panko can be purchased at most major supermarkets, but you can also use regular breadcrumbs if you don’t have panko.
To create a vegan salad, replace crumbled goat cheese with vegan version or a Persian style vegan feta and omit the parmesan from the toasted panko mixture.