Quick-Pickled Cucumber Salad
This salad relies on a brief salt-draw and a simple rice vinegar brine to maintain a sharp, clean snap. By slicing the cucumbers thin and letting them rest in the brine for twenty minutes, you achieve a brightness that holds up against heavier main courses without becoming soggy.
Watch the salt levels
Because you salt the cucumbers to pull out excess water before pickling, be cautious with the amount of salt you add to the final brine. You are looking for a balanced tang, not a salty finish.
- Mandoline or sharp chef's knife
- Colander
- Large glass mixing bowl
- Whisk
What goes in.
- 2 largeEnglish cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 1 tspkosher salt (for drawing moisture)
- 1/2 cupunseasoned rice vinegar
- 2 tbspgranulated sugar
- 1 tbsptoasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsptoasted sesame seeds
- 1 smallshallot, shaved into rings
Extracting the moisture
Toss the sliced cucumbers with salt and let them sit in a colander for ten minutes; this collapses the cell walls slightly and prevents the vinegar from diluting later, ensuring a crisp bite.
The method.
Prep the cucumbers
Slice the cucumbers into rounds about an eighth of an inch thick. Toss with the salt in a colander and set over a bowl for ten minutes.
Drain and press
Discard the liquid that collects in the bowl. Press down gently on the cucumbers with your hands to squeeze out the remaining surface water.
Mix the brine
In a clean bowl, whisk the rice vinegar and sugar until the grains dissolve. Stir in the sesame oil and shaved shallots.
Combine and chill
Add the drained cucumbers to the brine. Toss to coat and let sit at room temperature for at least fifteen minutes before serving, topped with the toasted sesame seeds.
Other turns to take.
Spicy Version
Add half a teaspoon of red pepper flakes or thin slices of bird's eye chili to the brine.
Herb-Forward
Fold in a handful of fresh cilantro or dill just before serving to add a bright, earthy aromatic note.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Use a mandoline for perfectly uniform slices, which ensures the cucumbers marinate at the exact same rate.
Do not let the cucumbers sit in the brine for more than an hour, or the vinegar will begin to soften the fibers and take away the crunch.
If you only have table salt, use half the amount specified, as it is much denser than kosher salt.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I use regular garden cucumbers instead of English?
Yes, but peel them first and scoop out the watery seed core with a spoon to ensure the final result isn't mushy.
What if the brine is too acidic?
Add another half-teaspoon of sugar and whisk until dissolved to mellow out the sharp bite of the vinegar.