Easy Sesame Cucumber Salad
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Summer is the perfect time for light, refreshing dishes that are easy to prepare and full of flavor. One of my go-to recipes is this Easy Sesame Cucumber Salad. It’s crisp, cool, and the perfect lunch or dinner side dish. Best of all, it comes together very quickly and only requires 5 ingredients (salt doesn’t count, lol)!
For this Sesame Cucumber Salad I highly recommend using a mandoline slicer (this one is my favorite), as it makes cutting the cucumbers so easy and fast. A word of caution, if you have never used a mandoline slicer, you should purchase a set of cut gloves to protect your fingers! Trust me on this one. It’s a small price to pay to avoid a trip to the emergency room.
One important step: Salting and leaving the cucumbers to release some of their moisture prior to tossing them in their dressing is essential, otherwise you will have a soggy, unsatisfying mess on your plate. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
This salad can be made a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator. I like to serve this Sesame Cucumber Salad as a side dish with grilled meats, fish, or as a part of a picnic spread, as it is perfect for warm weather.
For a fun twist that the kids especially love, make this recipe with spiral cut baby cucumbers, as shown in the photo above. The recipe is identical, however you will use baby cucumbers instead of large English cucumbers.
Ingredients
2 English cucumbers (or if making spirals, two 6 oz. containers of baby cucumbers)
Kosher salt
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
toasted sesame oil
seasoned rice vinegar
Optional garnishes: sesame seeds, gochugaru (Korean pepper flakes), or sliced scallions
Directions
- For Thinly Sliced Cucumbers
Using a mandoline slicer or food processor shredder blade, slice cucumber thinly (I use the second thinnest setting on my mandoline slicer) and place into a colander set inside a medium bowl and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp Kosher salt. Allow the cucumbers to drain for about 30 minutes. - Using a paper towel, gently press on the cucumbers to release more moisture. Dump the cucumber liquid from the bowl and dry the bowl completely. Pat the cucumbers gently dry with a paper towel and add to the bowl. Add the olive oil, sesame oil, and rice vinegar to the cucumbers and gently toss. Season to taste with Kosher salt and garnish with sesame seeds, gochugaru or sliced scallions, if using.
- For Cucumber Spirals
- Make diagonal cuts, closely spaced, into cucumber, but only go 3/4 of the way through. Flip cucumber over and make straight cuts, closely spaced, going slightly beyond halfway through the cucumber. Gently tug cucumber to separate into a spiral. Once you have spiral cut all the cucumbers, place in a medium bowl and sprinkle with Kosher salt. Using hands, gently rub the salt into the cucumbers. Allow the cucumbers to drain for about 30 minutes. Proceed with Step 2 above.
Notes
- I am an independent blogger and product reviews I share are based on my own opinions. Some of the links in this post are affiliate links and when used to make a purchase I may earn a commission. I link to these products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases.
Sarah Faris: The salad Whisperer
Sarah is a classically trained chef and Mom whose passion is spreading the gospel of salad. A native New Yorker, she now calls Miami, FL home.
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