Peach and Cucumber Salad

This recipe calls for toasted whole spices to be freshly ground. If you don’t have a spice grinder, use pre-ground! Ellwood Thompson’s has a great bulk spice selection for the less used spices, like cardamom. 

⅓ cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon plus ¼ cup olive oil
Kosher salt
1 cardamom pod
1 whole clove
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 serrano chile, finely grated
1 garlic clove, finely grated
3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro, plus leaves with tender stems for serving
3 tablespoons (or more) fresh lemon juice
2 medium or 4 small cucumbers, peeled if desired, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 medium yellow peaches, cut into 1–1½-inch pieces
1 avocado, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds


Preheat oven to 350°. Toast pumpkin seeds on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until golden brown and slightly puffed, 5–7 minutes; let cool. Transfer to a small bowl and toss with 1 Tbsp. oil; season with salt.
Meanwhile, toast cardamom, clove, coriander, and cumin in a dry small skillet over medium heat, tossing occasionally, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove seeds from cardamom pod; discard pod. Finely grind seeds along with other spices in spice mill or with mortar and pestle. Mix in a large bowl with chile, garlic, parsley, chopped cilantro, lemon juice, and remaining ¼ cup oil; season with salt. Add cucumber and toss. Let sit 5 minutes.