Last week, due to a little miscalculation while grocery shopping, I ended up with an excess of cucumbers in the vegetable bin. Miscalculation as in, “I wonder if I have any cucumbers, oh well, I guess I’ll buy three,” and it turns out there were already three at home.
Well, when life hands you cucumbers, make a cucumber salad. Done right, it’s a refreshing departure from a plain old tossed salad, light enough to eat by the bowlful, sprightly enough to be served more like a garnish alongside grilled meats or atop a soup or stew.
The model is Japanese namasu, typically served on the side like a pickle. With that idea as a base, you can swap ingredients in and out to suit yourself.
Japanese flavors would be rice vinegar, sugar and ginger (a handy shortcut is to use seasoned sushi vinegar, which is already sweetened). Or go Korean (soy sauce, garlic, sesame, chilies); Thai (lime juice, fish sauce, basil); Latin (lemon, cilantro, chilies); Mediterranean (lemon, dill and yogurt) … or make up something of your own. You just need a good balance of sweet, sour (acidic) and salty flavors. Go fat-free or add a little oil.
The key is to remove excess water from your cukes; otherwise they will lose their crunch and your dressing will be insipid. Many recipes call for tossing sliced cucumber with salt, which draws out a lot of water but leaves you to deal with the salt as you try to balance your other flavors.
I prefer simply laying the slices on paper towels and letting the paper wick out the liquid. You’d be surprised how damp that paper towel will be after just a half-hour. Some water will still leach out as the salad sits, but if you mix a fairly strong dressing, the water will work with you to strike a nice balance.
MIX-AND-MATCH CUCUMBER SALAD
1 pound Japanese or English cucumbers (see note)
1/4 cup something acidic (vinegar, lemon or lime juice or a combination)
2 tablespoons sweetener (sugar or honey)
1 tablespoon soy sauce or fish sauce
2 tablespoons minced fresh herbs or 2 teaspoons dry (cilantro, basil, mint, dill or a combination)
1 to 2 tablespoons aromatics (minced garlic, grated ginger with juice or minced onion)
>> Optional:
Chili pepper flakes
Minced green onion
Sesame seeds
Furikake
Splash chili oil or sesame oil
Plain yogurt or mayonnaise
Trim ends of cucumbers and cut in half lengthwise. Use teaspoon to scrape out seeds. Slice very thinly (about 1/8 inch). Line a cookie sheet with paper towels. Spread slices in a single layer on paper towel and let sit 30 minutes. Cucumbers will give up excess water.
Combine remaining ingredients in serving bowl and whisk until well combined and sugar has dissolved. Taste and add a little of whatever seems lacking. Add cucumber slices; toss. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes, toss and taste again before serving. Serves 6.
Nutritional information unavailable.
Ingredient note: I prefer long Japanese or English cucumbers to the standard type, which has bigger seeds and a waxy skin. But use the basic cuke if that’s what you have.
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