Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipe
This creamy cucumber salad is so refreshing and perfect as a side for a BBQ, picnic or anytime! A must make for summer and cucumber season!
Equipment
- Mandolin or Knife - I can highly recommend Feemster's famous slicer! In this recipe I like to slice the cucumbers paper thin. But you can also slice them a little thicker with a knife for more crunch. How you slice it will change the character of the salad quite a bit.
- bowls - A small one for mixing the dressing, a larger one for your salad.
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- Cucumbers - 2 long english cucumbers or 4 smaller garden cucumbers. You'll want about 4 cups of sliced cucumbers.
For The Dressing
- ½ cup sour cream - or Greek yogurt, quark cheese, chevre, or other fresh white cheese.
- 1 small onion - Any onion is fine, and you can use half a large onion instead.
- 1-3 garlic cloves - I used three because I love garlic. Adjust to your preference.
- 3 Tbsp vinegar - Red or white wine vinegar, or raw homemade apple cider vinegar.
- handful fresh dill or 1 Tbsp dried - If you have dill in your garden, you'll appreciate the fresh dill flavor vs. dried.
- ½-1 tsp salt - start with less and season to taste.
- Pepper, fresh milled - to taste.
- Raw honey - Optional. Add just a few drops to balance out the flavors in this salad dressing if you like.
Optional
- ½ cup feta cheese - Adds more depth of flavor and that awesome salty taste we love!
- Fermented brine if you have it - replace part of the vinegar with fermented brine or just add a little, but don't make your dressing too thin. It should be pretty thick since it will thin as the cucumbers release their juices.
- Sliced radish - I love thinly sliced radishes mixed into my cucumber salad but they don't like growing in the summer heat, so to get both together calls for some luck. It's awesome though, and radishes make a super pretty garnish too.
Instructions
- Wash and dry cucumbers.
- If you purchased waxed or otherwise treated cucumbers, you might want to peel them. Otherwise you may leave the skin on for the extra health benefits and a bit more texture.
- Slice your cucumbers paper thin, unless you prefer them thick and crunchy. Put them into your mixing bowl. If you opt to salt and drain your cucumbers, toss with 1 teaspoon of salt and let the juices be drawn out. Drain off the liquid and gently squeeze out extra juice. I don't do this step but if you'll be serving this salad many hours later or the next day, you might prefer making it that way.
- Pick the tough stems off the dill and finely chop the tender parts. Save the stems in the freezer for making stock or flavoring dill pickles.
- Grate the onion or chop very fine.
- Finely chop the garlic, sprinkle with a little salt and with the flat side of the knife (don't cut yourself), mash the garlic up a bit. Or use a garlic press if you have it.
- Put the dill, garlic, onions, and the rest of the ingredients into a small bowl.
- Whisk everything together till creamy and smooth.
- Pour over the cucumbers and mix well.
- Crumble some feta cheese over it and decorate with sliced or carved radishes if you like.