Why is every cucumber salad a creamy dill? What if you are like us and do not like dill but need to eat more vegetables and cucumbers are tolerable? My mom has been making this delicious cucumber salad for years because it has a combination of tastes between tangy and sweet. However, every time we see her start to prepare it, we go running out of the kitchen. This recipe has a lovely nickname in our family of “Stinky Comcubers.”
I will warn you. The smell of the vinegar cooking is awful. It smells like dead feet. Thankfully, I am not exactly sure what dead feet smell like exactly, but it fits. Thank goodness these do not taste the way they smell while cooking!
Preparing the Cucumbers:
The original recipe leaves whether to peel the cucumbers up to your preference. I think that the skin can be a bit tough to chew, but according to Mom, that is where all the nutrients are for the vegetable. Since the goal is to eat more healthily, I decided to peel halfway by making stripes. And let’s be honest, it made them prettier!
Do you have kitchen gadgets in your cabinets that take up space and are barely used? When Mom pulled out our mandoline slicer, she did a little jig with happiness because it justified the space it takes up in our pantry. But this thing is scary! I felt like it could cut my fingers off. It was pretty easy to use once you got the hang of it, and got over your Mom squirming every time you made a cut. We used the 1/4 inch setting, and there is no way I could have cut them on my own to get them all so even.
Draining the Cucumbers:
The thing about cucumbers is that they are filled with water and this can make for a soggy and tasteless salad. To help drain them, we sprinkled the salt over them in a colander and let them sit in the refrigerator for about an hour.
The Stinky Cucumber Step:
Brace yourself. This is where you should open all your windows and turn on the oven vent. The smell of vinegar cooking is really something. We cooked down the combination of sugar, vinegar, water, and a tiny sprinkle of red pepper flakes until about 1/3 of a cup was left.
Finishing the Delicious Cucumber Salad:
After our stinky dressing was cooled, we added the red onions. I wanted to skip this step, but Mom said they added a lot of flavor and visual interest. (We admit that we picked them off when we ate the salad.)
After the cucumbers had drained, we carefully mixed them with the vinegar mixture. This salad tastes better after the dressing soaks into the cucumbers, so we put it back into the refrigerator for a couple of hours before serving.
This is such a great summery side dish. We served it with our pulled pork sandwiches, and the combination of flavors was great.
How to Make Delicious Cucumber Salad for Kids
This recipe has a lovely nickname in our family of “Stinky Comcubers.” Thank goodness these do not taste the way they smell while cooking!
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 Pounds Cucumber: About 3 Medium, Thinly Sliced (Peeled or Unpeeled)
- 1 Teaspoons Salt
- 1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar (or Rice Wine Vinegar for a more sour taste)
- 1/2 Cup Water
- 3 Tablespoons Sugar
- 1/4 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes (Optional)
- 2 Tablespoons Minced Red Onion
Instructions
- Place cucumber slices in a colander sitting over a bowl, sprinkle with salt and toss well. Let sit for 1 hour refrigerated. Toss the cucumbers a few times while they drain if you remember. While cucumber slices are draining, prepare marinade.
- Combine vinegar, water, sugar and red pepper in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cook until reduced to a 1/3 cup (about 10 minutes). If for some reason you boil for too long, just add a little water until you have 1/3 cup. Remove reduction from heat and add onion. Let mixture cool to room temperature.
- When cucumbers are done resting, pat them dry with a few paper towels and then combine with the vinegar reduction. Chill for at least a few hours before serving.
Notes
Adapted from Our Best Bites