Asian-Style Cucumber Salad
I’ve been on somewhat of an Far Eastern food kick lately and the trend continues with this easy and healthy Asian-Style Cucumber Salad. I guarantee that it will brighten up these dreary and totally insane winter days!
So much color and flavor and crunch!
It literally comes together in minutes, except for the draining of the cucumbers which this recipe has you do in a kind of unique way, aka filling a ziploc bag with water and weighing down the salted cucumber slices in a colander for about an hour. Seems kinda crazy, but it totally works and keeps the cukes crunchier than they’d be without it.
If you’re trying to eat more sensibly after all the holiday decadence, having a little container of this in the fridge all ready to go when the snacking urge sets in, is a godsend!! Trying to do my part to keep all of us feeling good!!❤️❤️
Oh, and if you’re looking for other healthy and delish cukie salads, check out these here on the site: Almost Like Grammie’s Cucumber Salad, Smashed Cucumber Salad and Creamy Cucumber and Radish Salad. 🥒 🥒 🥒
Asian-Style Cucumber Salad
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes, plus at least an hour for cucumbers to drain
Ingredients
1 large English cucumber or 2-3 regular cucumbers, sliced thinly (if you’re using regular cucumbers, you might want to peel them)
Gallon-sized resealable bag
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
¼ cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons sugar
Pinch of red pepper flakes
The Recipe
1. Set a colander over a large bowl and add the cucumbers to the colander. Toss with a tablespoon of salt. Fill the resealable bag with water and set it over the cucumbers to weigh them down—this will help draw moisture out of the cucumbers and keep the salad more crunchy. Let sit for at least 1 hour and up to 3. Pat cucumbers dry with paper towel and discard liquid in the bowl below the colander.
2. While cucumbers are draining, toast the sesame seeds. Heat a small heavyweight skillet over medium heat and add sesame seeds. Let cook for a minute or two, stirring often, until seeds begin to brown. Immediately transfer to a bowl or seeds will continue to cook in the hot skillet and burn.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sesame oil, lemon juice, sugar, red pepper flakes and toasted seeds. When cucumbers are finished draining add them to the bowl and toss well. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve immediately or cover and chill.
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook by America’s Test Kitchen. I tinkered with proportions and simplified the techniques a bit.
