My 5-Minute Cucumber Salad Goes With Everything

Just when the summer heat is at its peak, cucumbers ripen on the vine to save the day. After being out working up an appetite in the sunshine, the thought of heavy food is completely unappealing. 

My husband grew up helping his mom weed and harvest a huge garden, putting up food for the rest of the year. For him, a summer meal has to include a big platter of just-harvested vegetables, whether it’s spring radishes or summery cucumbers and tomatoes. I’ve learned over the years that eating with the seasons like this is best practice for flavor and ease. 

My go-to cuke salad is dead simple. Just toss together sliced cucumbers, rice vinegar, sugar, and salt, along with a few sliced scallions. I’d call it a fresh pickle, but you don’t need to wait for it to soften. I love making this salad because it’s so quick and of the moment, and it goes with everything.

A Classic Combination

I discovered this salad when I became obsessed with sushi and Japanese food many years ago. In Japan, sunomono (it roughly translates to “vinegared things”) are served at the start of the meal. The tart salads awaken your palate before the meal begins and between courses. 

A traditional sunomono salad recipe includes salting the sliced cucumbers to draw out moisture and soften them. Then the cukes are rinsed and dressed with vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and sesame oil. 

In the spirit of my mother-in-law, I wanted to make something crisp, fresh, and easy. So I just slice my impeccably fresh cukes and toss them with a simple, sunomono-inspired dressing.

Tips for Making My Cucumber Salad

You can use any kind of cucumber for this recipe. If you are using thin-skinned Persian or Japanese cucumbers, you can leave them unpeeled. If you are using standard cukes with thicker skins, you can peel them if you want to. 

Sometimes I like to leave thin strips of peel running the length of the cucumber, creating little bits of green around the slices. If I am using really mature cukes with big seeds, I halve the cucumbers and scoop out the seeds and pulp. 

If you want to gussy it up, you certainly can. A handful of halved cherry tomatoes and some chopped cilantro add color. Switch the rice vinegar for lemon juice and add crumbled feta or goat cheese over the top for a heartier version.