Brighten your table with chili crisp cucumber salad

This creamy, peanut buttery take on a Chinese smashed cucumber salad can be served as an appetizer or side dish. It also makes a great vegetarian lunch. Gretchen McKay/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Cucumbers sometimes get overlooked as fodder for a main dish or appetizer because they’re so ubiquitous and, let’s be honest, utilitarian.

Available year-round, the bright-green creeping vine plant just isn’t as exciting as veggies you can only get for such a short time in summer.

That said, it’s a low-cal, nutritious fruit rich in antioxidants and various minerals and vitamins. Packed with water (a cucumber is 95% water), they’re also an excellent source of hydration.

This recipe is a creamy, peanut buttery take on a Chinese smashed cucumber salad. It brings together crisp wedges of mini-cucumbers with citrusy cilantro, toasted sesame seeds and the crunch of chopped, roasted peanuts. Adding zing is a peanut butter-based dressing whisked with soy sauce, honey, lime juice and God’s gift to cooks: a heaping teaspoon of garlicky, umami-filled chili crisp.

It’s the perfect dish for any night you want to get something bright and crunchy on the table in less than 15 minutes.

If you detest cilantro — some people swear it tastes like soap — leave it out or substitute parsley or Thai basil, which is spicier than Italian sweet basil. I added a pinch of red pepper flakes for gentle heat, but you also could drizzle the finished dish with chili oil.