Highly Seasoned Cucumber Salad

 

If you like pickles, you'll love this salad, which is almost acidic enough to count as a pickle. This is on rotation pretty much year-round for me, for lunch with a tin of fish, or for dinner alongside grilled meat or a pot of herby orzo.

YIELD — 4–6 servings

 

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup olive oil

  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped, divided

  • 1 pound cucumbers, I like to use a mix if possible, but any type is great

  • Kosher salt

  • 2 tablespoons white distilled, white wine or red wine vinegar, plus more

  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon

  • ½ cup finely chopped dill

  • 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro or parsley

  • 1/2 small-ish red onion or 1 shallot, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Heat olive oil and half the garlic in a small skillet over medium heat. Toast the garlic, swirling occasionally, until it’s lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Slice, smash, chop and/or cut cucumbers.

3. Place cucumbers in a large bowl and season with a good amount of kosher salt.

4. Let them sit a few minutes if you can, drain off any water that’s come out. Add vinegar and the rest of the garlic. Toss the cucumbers to coat and let them sit like this until you’re ready to eat— preferably, you let them sit about 30 minutes, but if that’s now, then great!

5. Taste the cucumbers again after they’ve sat, adjust with salt and vinegar as needed. They shouldn’t be as tangy and salty as, say, a pickle, but they should be pretty tangy. Who am I kidding, my salads absolutely taste like pickles.

6. Add the lemon zest and juice, the herbs, and onion.

7. Add the toasted garlic oil, toss everything, and then, yet again, taste one and season with more salt and vinegar if needed.

vegetables, salads, newsletterAlison RomanNewsletterComment