Cucumbers

[fyfas]

So tonight I'm making some scallops with a tomato/cucumber relish... really simple; scallops rolled in a crushed coriander seed/mustard seed combo before grilling.

Question is about the cucumber called for in the relish. In the market I notice regular cucumbers and (for a little more money) an ostensibly seedless cucumber wrapped in cellophane coming from - of all places in winter - Canada !

I cannot remember ever buying the seedless one before though I've seen them. Something in me says that in exchange for the seedless "convenience" I'm going to lose some flavor or have a different taste than I expect.

Any and all thoughts and comments on these two beasts to be used outside of a salad are appreciated.

Bob Sherwood

[fifi]

I think what you are seeing is what we used to call "burpless" cucumbers here down south. My mother grew them many moons ago before they showed up in the markets. I love the things. I am not particularly sensitive to cucumbers (burp!) but I like these a lot. They taste like a cucumber but the skin is usually tender so you don't peel them. They have only a few immature seeds and a really nice crunch. I like the texture better than your average salad cucumber.

From Canada??? They don't have any sun so it is hard for me to see how even greenhouses would work. But then, they have SQUARE MILES of greenhouses in The Netherlands where they grow those perfect (and somewhat tasteless) colored bell peppers, tomatoes and those cucumbers. Go figure.

[pixelchef]

You won't lose any flavour. You'll lose the fun of getting those wonderful little seeds stuck in your teeth, though - if that really matters.

And yea, up here in Canada we live in the darkness like a bunch of beer-swigging, lumberjack hermits. The sun actually causes our flesh to melt. But then, at least we didn't elect George W. Bush as our leader.

[Pan]

Neither did we Americans, but we'd better not go there...

[pixelchef]

Point taken - and agreed with completely. :)

[mamster]

I like the seedless English cucumbers better than the seedy type. And BC Hot House grows all sorts of tasteless greenhouse vegetables (peppers, lettuce, and especially tomatoes), but the cucumbers are probably their best product.

[Jaymes]

I use whatever is on sale.

RE the ones with seeds - just cut them in half lengthwise and take a spoon and scrape out the seeds. It's extremely easy.

And in my stores anyway, the regular cukes are often less than half the cost of the fancier versions.

[Suzanne F]

I mostly buy the seedless; no need to pare or seed, so I feel like I'm getting my money's worth. Although in the summer usually it's kirbies from the Greenmarket.

Besides, the seedless ones are never bitter, as regular large cucumbers tend to be.

[FoodMan]

These seedless (English or Hot house cukes) ones are the only ones I buy, they are sweet, crunchy, no need to peel and ...no nasty pulp/sseds. Go for it, especially in a relish.

FM

[Jaymes]

Okay, y'all. I'm totally convinced. And I'll admit, I hate handling those unsettling "waxy" skins that the "regular" cucumbers invariably have.

[torakris]

When I am in the US I only buy individually wrapped "English" cucumbers, the flavor is so much better.

[Jinmyo]

Japanese and Lebanese cucumbers are the way to go for most things.

[Explorer]

As others have eluded to, seedless cucumbers are not like seedless watermelon where you lose some taste without seeds.

The better cucumbers are small, seedless and are the Japanese or Lebanese type as Jinmyo pointed out. They aren't widely available though.

I also discovered an amazing combination: fresh tarragon and cucumber. I would ditch the coriander in favor of it.

[fyfas]

Thanks all !

I was never really "concerned" about the seeds or the labor involved removing them; just suspected that (like seedless watermelons) there might be a taste difference/preference, one over the other. Cukes are something I usually just grab and don't think about but (God help me) something started me thinking that day in the produce aisle.

And, as always, you guys came through with other considerations... like finding a Lebanese cucumber for flavor and how all of this might have some relevance to the sorry state of United States politics. Never mind ! Didn't mean that. Focus on food ! I won't go there

And, whoever said forget the coriander seed was right. Didn't work at all.

Bob Sherwood