Cucumber Salads
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| Tue, 04-15-2008 - 5:18pm |
No matter how you dress them, a preliminary salting and draining of sliced cucumbers maximizes their crunchy texture.
The Problem: More often than not, by the time you eat a cucumber salad, the cucumbers have gone soft and watery, losing their appealing crunch and diluting the dressing to near tastelessness.
The Goal: The primary goal of our testing was simple: Maximize the crunch.
The Solution: The standard recommendation for ridding watery vegetable such as cucumbers of unwanted moisture is to salt them, as the salt draws water out of the vegetable's cells. We found that weighting the salted cucumbers forced out even more water. The benefits of better-drained cucumbers became obvious once we mixed them with dressing. All of our tasters preferred the salad made with the weighted cucumbers for their superior crunch and less diluted dressing. As for how long to drain the weighted cucumbers, we found that one to three hours worked best. Even at 12 hours, the cucumbers gave up no more water than they had after three hours.

Sesame Lemon Cucumber Salad
Serves 4 as a side dish
1/4
cup rice vinegar
1
tablespoon lemon juice from 1 small lemon
2
tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2
teaspoons granulated sugar (Splenda)
1/8
teaspoon red pepper flakes , plus more to taste
1
tablespoon sesame seeds , toasted in a pan over medium heat until fragrant and golden, 4 to 5 minutes
3
medium cucumbers , sliced, salted, and drained (see directions)
To prepare the cucumbers: Peel, halve lengthwise, and scoop seeds from cucumbers. Stack halves flat side down; slice diagonally 1/4-inch thick. Toss with 1 tablespoon salt in strainer or colander set over bowl; weight with water-filled, one-gallon-sized zipper-lock freezer bag, sealed tight. Drain for at least 1 hour, and up to 3 hours. Transfer to medium bowl; reserve for further use.
Whisk all ingredients except cucumbers in medium bowl. Add cucumbers; toss to coat. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Sweet-and-Tart Cucumber Salad
Based on a common Thai relish served with saute, this salad is also great with grilled salmon or grilled chicken breasts.
Serves 4 as a side dish
1/2
cup rice vinegar
2 1/2
tablespoons granulated sugar (Splenda)
3
medium cucumbers , sliced, salted, and drained (see directions)
1/2
medium red onion , sliced very thin
2
small jalapeño chiles , seeded and minced (or more, to taste)
To prepare the cucumbers: Peel, halve lengthwise, and scoop seeds from cucumbers. Stack halves flat side down; slice diagonally 1/4-inch thick. Toss with 1 tablespoon salt in strainer or colander set over bowl; weight with water-filled, one-gallon-sized zipper-lock freezer bag, sealed tight. Drain for at least 1 hour, and up to 3 hours. Transfer to medium bowl; reserve for further use.
1. Bring 2/3 cup water and vinegar to boil in small nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. Stir in sugar to dissolve; reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
2. Meanwhile, mix cucumbers, onions, and jalapeños in medium bowl. Pour dressing over cucumber mixture; toss to coat. Serve chilled.

Yogurt Mint Cucumber Salad
Serves 4 as a side dish
1
cup plain low-fat yogurt
2
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4
cup minced fresh mint leaves
2
small cloves garlic , minced
1/2
teaspoon ground cumin
Table salt and ground black pepper
3
medium cucumbers , sliced, salted, and drained (see directions)
To prepare the cucumbers: Peel, halve lengthwise, and scoop seeds from cucumbers. Stack halves flat side down; slice diagonally 1/4-inch thick. Toss with 1 tablespoon salt in strainer or colander set over bowl; weight with water-filled, one-gallon-sized zipper-lock freezer bag, sealed tight. Drain for at least 1 hour, and up to 3 hours. Transfer to medium bowl; reserve for further use.
Whisk first five ingredients, and salt and pepper to taste, in medium bowl. Add cucumbers; toss to coat. Serve chilled, adjusting seasonings if necessary.

Creamy Dill Cucumber Salad
Salting and draining the onion along with the cucumbers in this recipe removes the sharp sting of raw onions.
Serves 4 as a side dish
1
cup sour cream
3
tablespoons cider vinegar
1
teaspoon granulated sugar (Splenda)
1/4
cup minced fresh dill
Table salt and ground black pepper
3
medium cucumbers , sliced, salted, and drained (see directions)
1/2
medium red onion , sliced very thin, salted and drained with cucumbers
To prepare the cucumbers: Peel, halve lengthwise, and scoop seeds from cucumbers. Stack halves flat side down; slice diagonally 1/4-inch thick. Toss with 1 tablespoon salt in strainer or colander set over bowl; weight with water-filled, one-gallon-sized zipper-lock freezer bag, sealed tight. Drain for at least 1 hour, and up to 3 hours. Transfer to medium bowl; reserve for further use.
Whisk first four ingredients, and salt and pepper to taste, in medium bowl. Add cucumbers and onion; toss to coat. Serve chilled, adjusting seasonings if necessary.



Thanks Jamie!!! These look great!!!
I never thought of using rice vinegar with the cucumbers. I have all the ingredients to make a couple of these already. And some cucumbers that need to be used badly!!!
Like Michelle, I was wondering about the weighting. I'm not much of a salt person either.
Rebekah
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The salt/weighing step is to draw moisture out of the cucumbers, to keep them from diluting the dressing.
I will try that, Jamie. And then wash and pat them dry afterward. I'll let you know how that works. If it will help the cucumbers from going limp (like they always do), I know it will be worth the extra effort.
Sorry that you are now in desperate need of cucumbers..LOL!!!
Rebekah
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Rebekah- you better watch your phrasing or Jennie will come in and make fun of you. LOL!!
Thanks Jamie for the delicious sounding cucumber salad recipes!
The one with the rice vinegar (being more 'smooth' than
I made cuke salad with yogurt, dill and onion powder yesterday around noon and it was still crunchy when eaten for dinner around 9 pm..no salt added.
We'll see if it's still good when I have the leftovers for lunch today...
weddingmusician.ca | Z o r bl o g | leafqueen.net
Oops!!! I hadn't even thought about that..LOL!!!
You ladies...your minds in the gutter??? !!!
Rebekah
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