Cucumber Salad

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When the weather warms up it’s time to get serious about barbecue, picnics, and fun gatherings filled with food. All of this means lots of side dishes that are low on prep time but big on flavor.

This cucumber salad recipe is full of fresh flavor, lots of crunch and a won’t leave you feeling weighed down after a big portion.

Steps to Make Cucumber Salad

1. Add water and vinegar to a medium pot.
2. Add sugar.
3. Place pot on medium high heat and stir until sugar is dissolved, then remove from heat.
4. Halve and thinly slice one small red onion.
5. Place onion sliced in the vinegar solution, mix and set aside.
6. Remove some skin from the cucumbers. This is optional but I like the added visual interest of the striped side.
7. Thinly slice the English cucumbers.
8. Place cucumbers in a large bowl, sprinkle with salt and toss then cover and chill for 30-40 minutes.
9. Drain excess juice from cucumbers.
10. Chop the fresh dill and mint.
11. Pour dressing and onions on cucumbers.
12. Sprinkle with dill and mint. Toss and serve.

How do you Sweat Cucumbers?

Sweating cucumbers releases excess water so whatever dish you use them in doesn’t end up in a pool of liquid. The whole process is quite easy but does require some resting time.

Toss your sliced cucumbers in salt, cover and allow to res in the refrigerator for about 40 minutes. Drain liquid and you’re done! As a general rule I would recommend using 1/2 tsp per cucumber.

How long will this cucumber salad keep?

This cucumber salad is best within a few hours of making it. It will keep for 2 days in the fridge but the texture begins to suffer as the cucumbers loose more of their turgidity. You can however make the dressing 3 days and store in advance and store in the fridge to lessen the prep work the day of.

What can you do with cucumbers?

If you love cucumbers try some of these recipes out!

Greek salad

Greek Nachos

Watermelon Canapés

Panzanella Salad

Cucumber Martini

Pro Tips for making this cucumber salad recipe

• Sweat your cucumbers out! This will reduce the amount of water in them and yield a taster, less watered down salad that keeps longer.
• English cucumbers are a bit more delicate and have a thinner skin. If you can’t find them or don’t want to pay the surcharge, then use regular cucumbers and pell off all that waxy skin.
• Try serving the salad with nice croutons for added crunch, carbs and general loveliness.
• If you ever want to season some plain rice try tossing it with the dressing from this recipe, it’s really delicious.
• This recipe lents itself really to fresh garden flavors so feel free to experiment with favorite herbs like thyme, oregano and tarragon.

If you’ve tried this cucumber salad recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!

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Cucumber Salad

You'll love this refreshing crunchy cucumber salad with pickled onions and fresh dill. Just the right hint of sweetness and tang make the perfect for any number of dishes.

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American, British

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

resting time 40 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 10 people

Calories 43 kcal

Author John Kanell

Ingredients

For the Dressing:

• 1/4 cup water 60mL
• 1/2 cup vinegar 120mL
• 1/3 cup sugar 78mL
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

For the Salad

• 2 English Cucumbers large
• 1 red onion small
• 1/4 cup dill fresh
• 3 tbsp mint

Instructions

1. Add water, vinegar, and sugar to a medium pot. Place on medium high heat and stir until sugar is dissolved, then remove from heat.

2. Halve and thinly slice one small red onion. Place onion sliced in the vinegar solution, mix and set aside.

3. Remove some skin from the cucumbers leaving dark stripes. Thinly slice the English cucumbers.

4. Place cucumbers in a large bowl, sprinkle with salt and toss then cover and chill for 30-40 minutes.

5. After sufficient resting time drain excess juice from cucumbers.

6. Chop the fresh dill and mint. Pour dressing and onions on cucumbers. Sprinkle with dill and mint. Toss and serve.

Recipe Notes

• Sweat your cucumbers out! This will reduce the amount of water in them and yield a taster, less watered down salad that keeps longer.
• English cucumbers are a bit more delicate and have a thinner skin. If you can't find them or don't want to pay the surcharge, then use regular cucumbers and pell off all that waxy skin. 
• Try serving the salad with nice croutons for added crunch, carbs and general loveliness. 
• If you ever want to season some plain rice try tossing it with the dressing from this recipe, it's really delicious.

Nutrition Facts

Cucumber Salad

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 43 Calories from Fat 9

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 1g 2%

Saturated Fat 1g 5%

Sodium 294mg 12%

Potassium 113mg 3%

Total Carbohydrates 10g 3%

Dietary Fiber 1g 4%

Sugars 8g

Protein 1g 2%

Vitamin A 3.5%

Vitamin C 4.4%

Calcium 1.6%

Iron 1.6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.