Our Best Cucumber Salad
- PREP 1hrs 45min
- TOTAL 1hrs 45min
The secret to this salad is salting the cucumbers. After slicing them thin, we generously salt and leave them alone for 30 minutes. As they sit, the cucumbers become even more “cucumbery” and release extra moisture, which, if not removed, would make the dressing watery. Then, they are tossed with a simple dressing and left to marinate for at least 1 hour, but no more than a day. The salad takes a little extra time with salting and marinating, but your hands-on time is minimal.
The inactive time for this recipe is 1 1/2 hours. We like to slice the cucumbers thin (1/16-inch or 1.5 mm) for this. After making the salad, the cucumbers are crisp but a little floppy. If you’d like the cucumbers to be more substantial, slice them thicker.
You Will Need
2 hot house or seedless cucumbers, about 1 1/2 pounds
Salt
2 to 3 teaspoons granulated sugar, depending on how sweet you like the salad
1/4 cup (60 ml) cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 of a medium red onion, thinly sliced
Directions
Thinly slice cucumbers, toss with two teaspoons of salt, then add to a colander set over the sink or bowl. Let sit for 30 minutes.
Rinse cucumbers with cold water, then squeeze excess water from them. (To make this easy, we add the cucumbers to a clean dish towel, then tie it up and squeeze).
In a large bowl, whisk together two teaspoons of sugar, vinegar, and mustard. Taste, then add the additional teaspoon of sugar if needed. Add cucumbers, and red onion, then toss. Refrigerate salad at least 1 hour and up to a day before serving.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Seedless cucumbers: You will often find seedless cucumbers sold wrapped in plastic. They have thinner skin and are a little sweeter than regular cucumbers. Other names include English cucumber and hothouse cucumber. If you cannot find them, use regular cucumbers and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds before slicing. If the cucumbers have thicker, waxy peel, we recommend peeling all or some of it away.
- Variation – Add Lettuce: After marinating the cucumbers, you will notice quite a bit of liquid will be sitting at the bottom of the bowl. If you would like, transfer some of the liquid to a small bowl then whisk in 2 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil, making a salad dressing. Then, tear up lettuce leaves, toss with dressing and serve cucumbers on top.
- We like the cucumbers thinly sliced. You have two choices when slicing — use a sharp knife or use a mandoline slicer. If you have it, the mandoline does wonders with making things go quickly. If you’re using a mandoline, buy yourself a kevlar glove for safety.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA Supertracker recipe calculator to calculate approximate values.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste