Ensalada Cubana con Cítricos y Yogur (Citrus Yogurt Chopped Salad)

About This Recipe

Cuban table salads are typically simple: sliced tomato, cucumber, avocado and shredded cabbage or lettuce dressed with just oil, vinegar and salt, served alongside almost every meal to balance rich, savory mains. This version keeps that same chopped, colorful base but swaps the plain vinaigrette for a citrus-yogurt dressing — a modern home-kitchen touch that adds creaminess without making the salad heavy, and pairs naturally with the citrus notes already common in Cuban cooking. The key to a good chopped Cuban-style salad is cutting everything to a similar, bite-sized dice so every forkful gets a mix of textures — crisp radish, creamy avocado, juicy tomato. The dressing is whisked separately and tossed in just before serving so the avocado doesn't turn the whole bowl mushy sitting in liquid. This is the kind of side dish that shows up at a Cuban family table daily, not a special-occasion salad — quick to make, refreshing against fried or braised mains, and forgiving of ingredient swaps based on what's in the fridge.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2ripe tomatoes(diced)
• 1avocado(diced)
• 1cucumber(diced)
• 4radishes(thinly sliced)
• 0.25red onion(thinly sliced)
• 0.33 cupplain whole-milk yogurt
• 2 tbspolive oil
• 1orange(zested and juiced)
• 1 tbsplime juice
• 0.5 tspfine sea salt
• 0.25 tspblack pepper
• 2 tbspchopped cilantro

Instructions

1. 1

   Prep the vegetables

   Dice tomatoes, avocado and cucumber into roughly even 1cm pieces. Thinly slice radishes and red onion.

2. 2

   Soak the onion

   Place sliced red onion in a small bowl of ice water for 5 minutes to mellow its sharpness, then drain well.

3. 3

   Make the dressing

   Whisk together yogurt, olive oil, orange zest, orange juice, lime juice, salt and pepper until smooth and slightly thick.

4. 4

   Combine

   In a large bowl, gently toss tomatoes, cucumber, radishes and drained onion together first, saving the avocado for last.

5. 5

   Dress and finish

   Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss gently. Fold in the avocado last so it stays in intact cubes rather than mashing into the dressing.

   Adding avocado at the very end and tossing gently keeps the salad from turning into guacamole.

6. 6

   Serve

   Scatter cilantro over the top and serve immediately, ideally within 15 minutes for the best texture.

Variations

• •

  Skip the yogurt for a classic oil-and-vinegar Cuban salad if you want the traditional, lighter version.

• •

  Add crumbled queso fresco for extra richness and a saltier bite.

• •

  Swap orange for grapefruit for a more bitter, adult-leaning citrus note.

Storage

Best eaten the same day it's dressed. If prepping ahead, keep vegetables, dressing and avocado separate and combine just before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions