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This Asian cucumber salad is crunchy, refreshing, light, and incredibly tasty. It makes a wonderful cold side dish for any summer meal and is very easy and fun to put together. Once you try it, you’ll want to make it ALL the time!
I adore munching on these delicious cucumbers in the summer. The dressing is slightly salty and spicy, and the crisp cucumbers make the perfect canvas for the sauce. I often serve this with rice and another entree, but sometimes I just take it out of the fridge for a little snack. It’s so hard to resist.
This cold cucumber salad is best enjoyed right away after they’ve been tossed with the dressing to keep the cucumbers crispy. If you aren’t going to eat them right away, I suggest keeping the cucumbers and dressing separate until you’re ready to eat. Nobody wants a soggy cucumber.
What Type of Cucumbers to Use
For this salad, you’ll want to use small crunchy cucumbers with thin skin. Persian or Japanese cucumbers work wonderfully for this salad. Although they’re larger, English cucumbers are great, too. I would avoid cucumbers that have waxy, tough, or large seeds for this particular recipe.
Why Do You Need to Smash the Cucumbers?
The unique part of this dish is in the preparation of the cucumbers. Instead of slicing up the cukes (so boring), you get to whack it with a knife (or another weapon of choice). What does smashing the cucumber do? It creates these wonderful cracks and crevices that help the dressing adhere better to the cucumbers. It’s also fun and helps get out residual aggression. Win-win!
How Do You Smash a Cucumber?
Smashing the cucumbers is easy (and fun). I like to cut the cucumbers into manageable pieces, about 2-3 inches. Then I place a piece of cucumber under my knife and hit the flat of the blade with the heel of my hand once or twice (similar to smashing garlic cloves). You can also use a heavy bottle or rolling pin to smash them. Keep in mind you don’t need to be too heavy-handed with the cucumbers especially if you’ve chosen ones with thin skin. You don’t need to go Gallagher on the cukes, a firm smack is more than enough.
Salting the Cucumbers
I like to take the extra step of salting the cucumbers and letting them sit for a few minutes to draw out the moisture. I know, I know an extra step and you’re probably wondering, “Do I really need to do this?” I don’t believe it to be an absolutely essential step, but it’s a helpful one to keep those cucumbers nice and crunchy. I’m impatient and only let them sit 15-20 minutes while I prepare the dressing or prep other food. The longer you let them sit in the salt, the less watery the cucumbers will be.
Other Recipes You Might Enjoy
- Ground Beef Bulgogi with Gochujang Sauce
- Korean Braised Potatoes
- Vietnamese Steak Salad
- Asian Garlic Noodles
- Steak Thai Salad
Smashed Cucumber Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound cucumbers Persian, Japanese, or English cucumbers work well
- 1 tablespoon salt (for salting cucumbers)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1/2 teaspoon chili oil (optional)
- 1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Gather the ingredients.
- On a cutting board, cut cucumbers into 2-3 inch pieces. Lay down one piece, place the flat side of your knife on top of the cucumber. Use the heal of your other hand to firmly hit the flat of the blade one or two times until you smash the cucumber underneath. Seperate the cucumber pieces and put into a bowl. Repeat with other pieces of cucumber.
- Place the cucumbers in a colander over a bowl. Add one tablespoon of salt and thoroughly mix with your fingers. Set aside for about 15-20 minutes to allow the water to be drawn out of the cucumbers. Rinse and dry the cucumbers after the time is up. You can skip this step if you're short on time.
- Prepare the dressing. In a bowl, combine sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, and chili oil. Mix to dissolve the sugar.
- Place the cucumbers on a serving dish and pour over the dressing. Mix together until cucumbers are coated. Garnish with sesame seeds and then enjoy!
Notes
- Cucumbers with thin skin like Japanese, Persian, or English cucumbers work best here.
- The chili oil is optional, add as much or as little as you like.
- If you’re not eating the cucumber salad right away, keep the dressing and the cucumbers separate. Dress the cucumbers right before serving.
