Massicis au Lard

Try this French Caribbean recipe if you love the combination of bacon and cucumbers. I hope you enjoy it.
Massicis au Lard! What! I know some of you may be thinking about something else; please take your mind out of the gutter. LOL. This is the name of the dish. The dish can also be translated as massicis with bacon or cucumbers with bacon. The massicis are vegetables resembling small cucumbers originating in the West Indies. They must be scraped with a knife and emptied of their seeds before being cooked. They are also often cooked with onions, tomatoes, and peppers.
To make this dish, and because I am not living in Martinique or Guadeloupe, I have substituted the massicis for cucumbers as it is often done. I prefer making this dish with small cucumbers because there is no need to remove the seeds, as they are tiny and much tender.

How to serve Massicis au Lard
This dish is typically Caribbean and is served for breakfast, lunch, or whenever you want to eat it. The best way to enjoy it is to make sure you have smoked thick bacon. It makes such a big difference. For the ones who cannot eat pork, turkey bacon is also good. Although turkey bacon has a different texture, you may need to add extra oil when trying out the recipe.
Enjoy Massicis au Lard. And by the way, don’t forget to have it with bread. A nice warm French baguette or good home-baked bread will complete it. Enjoy it also with plantain or any other root vegetable.
Massicis au Lard
Ingredients
- 4 – 6 thick slices Smoked Bacon or turkey bacon, cut into 1 -2 inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
- 2 large Garlic Cloves finely chopped
- 1 large White Onion sliced
- 8 Baby Cucumbers or 8 massicis or 2 large cucumbers sliced thick
- 1/2 Hot Pepper seeded, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Thyme leaves only
- Black Pepper to taste
- Additional oil instead of butter if preferred
Instructions
- In a frying pan under medium heat, add bacon and let fry until fat is release and bacon is crispy. Remove extra fat/oil from pan, set aside bacon. In same frying pan under low to medium heat, add butter, garlic and onion. Let fry for about 2 minutes.
- Add cucumbers or massicis pieces. Add thyme and hot pepper. If necessary, add addition oil or fat from cooked bacon. Let mixture cook while stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve hot with bread preferably or plantain or any other root vegetable.
Notes
Nutrition
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
Nutrition info is automatically generated and provided as a courtesy and as an estimate only.