Ginger Garlic Cucumber Salad

Ginger garlic cucumber salad is perfect for a hot summer day because it’s very cooling. Easy to make too.

Cucumber Salad Goes Asian

Since I love cucumbers and specifically cucumber salad, I’m always jonesing for new recipes.

I’ve made the classic creamy salad and dill varieties for years. Recently, I posted this other Asian cucumber salad which uses different flavors.

Try them all if you like!

Prepping the Cukes

Cucumbers have a lot of water in them. If you don’t get a lot of it out, it’ll make the dressing watery and dilute the flavor somewhat. Of course, if you don’t mind this and you plan to serve the salad immediately, then you can bypass this step.

First of all, I strongly suggest using a mandolin to slice the the cukes. You want them very thin and you just cannot get uniformity using a knife–no matter how good your knife skills are.

Next you lay the slices in a colander and sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt–don’t go overboard; about a teaspoon is enough. Then you have to weight them down. I have a large colander so what I do is place an 8-inch cast iron skillet in a plastic bag and put that on top. Now just let this sit for 30 minutes.

Next step is to lay the slices on some paper towels and blot the cukes to dry them as much as you can. Now you’re ready to make up the salad.

The Dressing

This dressing is ultra simple.

All you have to do is mix the ingredients together. Note that there is no salt in the dressing and that’s mainly because you used it to prep the cucumbers

The Recipe

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Ginger Garlic Cucumber Salad

Ginger garlic cucumber salad is perfect for a hot summer day because it’s very cooling. Easy to make too.

Prep Time30 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: cucumber salad, cucumbers, summer salad

Servings: 4

Calories: 126kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 2 seedless cucumbers i.e. European (see NOTES)
• 2 tbs kosher salt
• 3 green onions finely sliced
• 1 tbs finely minced cilantro

For the Dressing:

• 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 2 1/2 tbs vegetable oil
• 1 tbs low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tsp dark sesame oil
• 1 tsp sugar

Instructions

• Slice cucumbers very thinly. A mandolin is best for this.
• Place sliced cucumbers in a colander and sprinkle with the kosher salt. Toss so they are well coated. Set the colander in the sink so they drain. Let stand 15-20 minutes.
• Lay the cucumber slices on a kitchen towel and pat to dry; place them in a large bowl then add the green onions and cilantro.
• For the dressing: Mix the sugar, ginger, garlic and soy sauce in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Whisk in the oils then pour over cucumber slices and toss to coat.
• Refrigerate until ready to use. This salad will keep about 2 days but the dressing will get a bit watery (but still taste good).

Notes

Don’t use regular cucumbers (store bought) because they are waxed. Kirby’s (pickling cucumbers) are a good substitute for the European ones.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 126kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 3626mg | Potassium: 245mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 247IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg

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