The Ingredients Giada De Laurentiis Uses To Give Cucumber Salad An Italian Twist

Light, crisp, and delectably refreshing, it's no wonder cucumbers are a favorite when it comes to snacking. Lately, the water-rich gourd has seen a surge in popularity thanks to the cucumber-based creations of TikToker Logan Moffitt, whose various cucumber-salad-in-a-jar recipes have been going viral across the platform. And he's even inspired Giada De Laurentiis to put her own twist on the trend.

The Food Network star and chef took to Instagram to share how she gives her cucumber salad plenty of Italian flair. Her secret ingredients? Calabrian chili paste and colatura di alici, aka anchovy sauce. "The best trend is one that helps me use the cucumbers in my garden," the chef captioned her Instagram video, in which she demonstrates how she makes her own version of cucumber salad. After adding her sliced cucumbers into a large glass jar with a lid, à la Moffitt, De Laurentiis seasons them with a teaspoonful of Calabrian chili paste, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, salt with oregano and lemon already mixed in, olive oil, and a splash of colatura. In contrast with the zesty cucumber and acidic lemon, the chili paste presents a punch of spice, while the anchovy sauce rounds it all out by adding umami flavor. 

The two key ingredients certainly make for unique additions to cucumber salad, but fans of De Laurentiis may hardly be surprised that she reached for them here. Indeed, she counts both Calabrian chili paste and anchovy sauce among her favorite Italian condiments.

If a dish calls for a kick of heat, you can count on Giada De Laurentiis to reach for her beloved Calabrian chili paste, which is made from chili peppers from the Calabria region in Italy. In the Giadzy blog post introducing her Calabrian chili pasta, the chef explains that more than just adding spice, the paste "has a lovely warm and slightly sweet flavor as well, and it can really wake any ordinary dish up." It's no wonder she also uses the ingredient in crostini spreads and even puts it in a bloody Mary. We recommend adding it to jarred tomato pasta sauce.

As for her favorite fish sauce? De Laurentiis pops a dash into many of her dishes, using it to replace actual anchovies, as well as to add depth of flaovor. Similar to the fish sauce used in Southeast Asian cuisine (which also happens to be famous for its spicy cucumber salads), colatura is made by aging anchovies in salt until they ferment, leaving behind the flavorful briny, umami liquid. There are many creative ways to use fish sauce in your cooking, such as drizzling it onto pizza, adding it to a basil beef dish or, like the chili paste, including it in a bloody Mary. 

Want to combine Calabrian chili paste and anchovy sauce beyond cucumber salad? Whip up the chef's linguine with walnuts and anchovy recipe, which incorporates both of her go-to ingredients to perfection.