Made with green onion, dill, sweet paprika and a simple vinaigrette, this is the best cucumber salad you will ever have.
One of the best cucumber salad out there
This recipe has Hungarian roots, but Germans and other people living in Transylvania make it the same.
The use of paprika is very popular in the Hungarian and also Transylvanian cuisine, due to the ethnic influences.
I saw my grandmother making this recipe in the summer while I was growing up and I also made it myself many times.
I love a good cucumber salad next to grilled meats, fried potatoes, or a good schnitzel.
I researched many cucumber recipe salads from that part of the world and they all agree in something very important:
You need to make this salad with at least half hour before you serve it, so the ingredients have time to get friendly with each other.
What kind of cucumbers would be good for this salad
I love good cucumbers in the summer, especially the ones that are medium size and with no seeds. If they have seeds, I usually remove them.
Keep the small ones for pickles (See here my favorite and also the most popular recipe on the site), and use the ones bigger in size.
English cucumbers are also very good.
HOW TO MAKE THIS CUCUMBER SALAD
To make this salad it is actually super easy. Start by cleaning the cucumbers first and peeling them. After that, slice them really thin.
The secret stays in how thin you slice the cucumbers, as they basically need to marinade for a while in the dressing.
A mandoline is perfect for the job, but if you don’t have one, a knife will work as well.
Place them in a colander and salt them lightly, so they release some water. They need to sweat and release the water, exactly the same way when you cook eggplant or make zucchini patties.
While the cucumbers are draining, chop the onion and the fresh dill.
What kind of onions should I use
Green onions are so good in the summer, but if you make the salad in the winter, or when greens onions are not available, use red or yellow onions that you thinly slice.
Can I use dried dill
Because this is a summer salad, again, I strongly encourage you to use fresh dill. However, if you do not have that, but you have dried dill, frozen or some other form of preserved dill use what you have.
Place the cucumbers in a salad bowl, add the onions and mix gently to combine.
Separate, make the vinaigrette by mixing together the vinegar, water, oil, salt and a little bit of sugar. The sugar will balance the acidity of the vinegar and bring the flavors together.
Add the vinaigrette over the salad and toss the cucumbers and onions in it. Add the dill and mix again.
Dust the cucumbers with sweet paprika if you like, or just serve it without.
The salad needs to sit before you serve it for about half hour, so the ingredients get marinated in the vinaigrette.
Serve it with Chicken Schnitzel(one of my favorites), or Scalloped potatoes with hard boiled eggs.
You might also like New potatoes with dill and butter and Romanian meatballs(yumm!)
All these summer dishes are perfect with this cucumber salad that you will make over and over again.
By the way, if you liked this recipe, maybe you want to try some other salad ideas for this summer.
Enjoy!
Best Cucumber Salad
This is the best cucumber salad- an unforgotten summer recipe that can be made over and over again. Delicious and simple.
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 3-4 medium cucumbers or 1 English cucumber sliced thin
- 2-3 green onions or 1 small onion sliced
- 1 pinch of salt for cucumbers
- 1 small bunch of dill chopped(or a handful)
- Optional: 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
For the vinaigrette:
- 2-3 tablespoons white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup cold water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil(like sunflower oil, olive oil)
Instructions
- Slice cucumbers very thin and place the slices with a pinch of salt on a colander to remove some of the water. Let them sit for 10-15 minutes.
- Squeeze the cucumbers to remove the water before placing them in a salad bowl.
- Meanwhile, slice the onions and the dill.
- Place the cucumbers in a salad bowl and add onion and dill.
- Make the vinaigrette:
- Mix vinegar, water, oil, salt and sugar together and bathe the vegetables with it. Toss the cucumbers in the vinaigrette and let the salad marinate for about 25-30 minutes before serving.
- Ooptional sprinkle sweet paprika over the salad and serve.
- It goes really well with grilled meats, potatoes etc.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 91Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 573mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 2gSugar: 7gProtein: 2g