I love cucumbers. I buy them all the time at the store when they’re in season, and I love making them into a cucumber tomato salad or a pita salad or even just dipping them a little in Ranch dressing. The problem is that I get bored with cucumbers the same way, and that’s when they sit in my fridge for just a little too long and… have to go away. Fortunately, I remembered another great way to eat them, in a salad that features primarily just the cucumbers for an easy summer salad that has me eating my cucumbers once again.
The best part about this is that I can easily start this salad a few hours before I want to serve it – and then just dress it at the last minute for a quick salad that gets rave reviews.
I’ve made it with mint, dill, and parsley, and all have their place. My personal favorite it to make it with mint, but unfortunately the mint at my store wasn’t looking so good earlier this week, so I went with the old standby of parsley. And it’s still a salad I keep picking into to grab a slice of cucumber before it’s “really” time to eat.
This salad is delicious, but because cucumbers have so much water in them, not only do you want to make sure you drain them well before making it, you also want to eat it immediately after dressing the salad to avoid the cucumbers releasing more water.
How to Make Easy Summer Cucumber Salad
Peel your cucumbers, and slice them in half. To ensure the halves are even, place them on your cutting board so that the are tipped up where they bend. This prevents you from having to follow the bend as you cut. Using a spoon, remove the seeds by simply scraping along the center, and discard the seeds.
Slice your cucumbers into half inch moon shaped slices. Place them in a bowl and add the salt. Toss to coat, then move the cucumbers to a colander sitting on a plate to drain. Let the cucumbers sit for at least a half hour and up to 2 hours to let salt pull the water out. You’ll be amazed by how much water collects in that plate. Once the cucumbers have released their water, pat dry.
In a bowl, mix together the kefir, garlic, lemon juice, and pepper. You can also do this step ahead of time and let it remain in the fridge until you’re ready to dress your salad.
When you’re about to eat, chop your herbs, add the cucumbers and herbs to your dressing, and toss gently. Once it is completely coated, serve immediately.
Summer Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound cucumbers
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup plain kefir
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons mint or parsley chopped
Instructions
- Peel cucumbers, and slice in half. Remove seeds by scraping a spoon along the center, and discard the seeds.
- Slice cucumbers into half inch moon shaped slices. Place in a bowl and add salt.1 pound cucumbers, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Toss to coat, then drain in a colander over a plate for 30 minutes up to 2 hours. Pat cucumbers dry after training.
- In a bowl, mix together kefir, garlic, lemon juice, and pepper.1/4 cup plain kefir, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- Chop herbs, then add cucumbers and herbs to dressing, and toss gently. Once completely coated, serve immediately.2 tablespoons mint or parsley
Notes
- Kefir adds a great lactose-free version to this salad, for those with intolerances.
- For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.
Nutrition
This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.
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[…] used the plain version of Lifeway Foods Kefir last week to make an amazing cucumber salad. I literally picked at the few leftovers until they were gone and then cheered up when I realized I […]
Oh, goody! I just harvested some cucumbers and was looking around for recipes. This one is definitely a keeper. I’m going to make Asian cucumber salads and then I’m going to make yours. Thanks for sharing.