Recipes using cucumbers

Sunomono Salad

This is one of my favorite cucumber recipes

Mix together
5 thinly sliced tomatoes
1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
2 to 3 cucumbers, thinly sliced
a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and 2 splashes of red wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Let stand about 20 minutes for the flavors to mix.  Re-toss and you can serve with crusty bread for mopping up the juices and oil.

This is a pickled cucumber salad 

2 to 3 cucumbers

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar, white vinegar, or apple cider

1 Tbsp sugar

a few drops of soy sauce
green onions (optional)

Peel and slice cucumbers into very thin slices.  Sprinkle sliced cucumbers with salt and let stand a few minutes. Drain out excess moisture.  Combine vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce and mix well. Pour the vinegar mixture over the cucumber slices and mix well.  

I found this refrigerator quick pickled cucumber salad during the summer of 2017 on the internet and it might be the best recipe. 

Quick Pickled Cucumbers – Refrigerator Pickles

Quick and easy pickled cucumbers with onion made in the refrigerator; our favorite way to use summer cucumbers!

• Author: Melissa Griffiths
• Prep Time: 5 min
 
• Total Time: 5 min

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup vinegar (apple cider, white, and rice wine are all good)
• 1/3 cup sugar (optional)
• 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
• sliced garden cucumbers (about 2 cups)
• sliced onion or green onion (about 1/2 cup)
• additional vegetables as you like (bell pepper, whole cherry tomatoes, etc.)

Instructions

1. In a small bowl add the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir to combine and until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Add the cucumber and onion. Taste and adjust the ingredients to your liking.
2. All the cucumbers should be covered in the brine, if you have lots of cucumber or are making a big batch, make more brine.
3. Let the mixture rest in the fridge until you are ready to eat. The flavors develop over time, so an overnight soak is great but mine are normally gone by dinner.

Notes

I love adding the sugar and my mom does too, but my grandma doesn’t add that much (she only adds a few tablespoons). I say try it and see what you like.

White vinegar is the traditional vinegar for this recipe and a great place to start. If you know that you like apple cider or rice wine vinegar they are also good.

You really can’t mess this up. Just adjust to taste and enjoy!

An Asian-Style Cucumber Salad

This recipe comes from the August 2003 issue of Good Housekeeping.  The woman who submitted it, Cindy Alleman, says it comes from the Quark's Bar and Restaurant at the Las Vegas Hilton's Star Trek: The Experience.

1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. Thai sweet chili sauce
3 medium English cucumbers (2 1/2 pounds)   I have used regular cucumbers and taken out the seeds and this works too.
1 Tbsp. black sesame seeds, lightly toasted

In a medium sized bowl, stir rice vinegar, sugar, Thai chili sauce, and 1/2 cup cold water together.
Cut unpeeled cucumbers into 2-inch lengths.  With a mandolin or with a chef's knife, cut cucumbers into 1/4 inch-wide, matchstick-thin strips.
Add cucumber strips to the dressing in the bowl; toss to coat.  Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight to blend flavors, stirring occasionally.
To serve, throughly drain cucumbers strips; transfer to serving bowl and sprinkle with sesame seeds.