There’s nothing better than a simple side salad that comes together in a flash, like with this easy cucumber salad recipe.
Because it is Friday, and on Friday’s I share a five ingredient recipe as part of my Five-Ingredient-Friday series, it’s no surprise to anyone that this is an easy five ingredient recipe. However, I didn’t title this post “5 ingredient cucumber salad” because there are so many variations you could do with this dish, I wanted to leave it open to interpretation.
The five ingredients I used for this recipe were cucumbers, sugar, rice wine vinegar, jalapenos and chopped cilantro. The ingredients mix super well together and you’re left with a wonderfully fresh cucumber dish! I’ve used parsley instead of cilantro, or chives, or basil or even a mix of fresh herbs. And I’ve used red wine vinegar in place of the rice wine vinegar, it’s really whatever you have on hand.
So I have a funny story for you with 5-ingredient recipes. As you may know by now, I love 5-ingredient recipes: simple recipes and ingredients turned into a dish to make something amazing (I even have a cookbook of 5 ingredient recipes!). The only things I don’t count as “ingredients” are salt, pepper, and water because chances are, you have those somewhere in your house. I consider those “free” ingredients. When I was out of the house one day, I got a call from my husband who was watching a cooking show on tv, and he was so animated on the phone telling me how this person was saying they were making 5-ingredient recipes, but their “free” ingredients were entire categories!! Categories! Like cooking fats: oils, butter, etc., seasonings: all herbs and dried seasonings, pantry staples: flour, sugar, etc. He joked, “honey, your recipes are zero ingredient recipes” LOL!
The herbs and jalapenos I used in this recipe are from my little garden bed (as seen above with Clover our dog being stoic). Since we moved, and I had a baby this summer, I got this raised garden bed with legs. Because this summer has been a little crazier than in the past, I didn’t plant as much- otherwise I would have planted cucumbers too, but those are in abundance at the farmers market.
I hope you enjoy this easy cucumber salad recipe, it’s really a great vegetable side dish!
Other recipes you might enjoy:
- Korean Beef BBQ Tacos with Quick Pickled Cucumbers
- 4 Ingredient Fancy Cucumber Sandwiches
- Refreshing Cucumber Melon Spritzer Drink Recipe
Quick Cucumber Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 seedless cucumber chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 - 1 jalapeno pepper finely chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh chopped herbs (cilantro parsley, basil or chives, or a combination of them
Instructions
- Mix cucumbers and salt in a bowl, let sit for 15 minutes-30 minutes, then drain and pat dry with paper towel. Sprinkle with a dash of salt.
- Whisk together sugar and vinegar until the sugar dissolves, then add jalapenos and fresh herbs.
- Add cucumbers to a bowl and pour sauce over it and serve.
Nutrition
Shannon says
I made this last night and it was a huge hit! My 7 year old said he loved it as much as caprese salad, which is his absolute favorite. I did find the sugar was necessary just as you said. I used parsley for the herb, since that’s what I had readily available. Sadly I had to leave out the jalapeño (due to said 7 year old) but I added a little sliced bell pepper for color. Thanks so much for this delightfully simple recipe!
Sweetphi says
Oh this comment totally made my day Shannon! Thank you so much for sharing, and I’m so glad you liked this recipe
Little Cooking Tips says
We often have chopped cucumber with salt, EVOO and vinegar as a snack at night, watching some of our favorite series during the summer so this is truly a great alternative and an excellent idea dear Phi! Loved the look of Clover (also amazing to read the work stoic, didn’t know there was an English word for it – Stoics / Stoicism!) and your beautiful garden! SO pretty!
Lots of hugs!
Sweetphi says
Fresh cucumbers are just so yummy in the summer. That’s funny about the word stoic- clover definitely has that look lol. And I’m glad I got a picture of the garden a few weeks ago, because now it’s looking a little starved for attention, your comment is a reminder to go outside and give it some love 🙂
Cinday says
Why the added sugar?
Sweetphi says
You can choose to omit the sugar or use less, but it’s in the recipe because it cuts down on the bitterness of the vinegar and balances out the flavors.