Easy Pickled Cucumber Salad With Fresh Dill

Here's a simple pickled cucumber salad with just the right amount of tang against the crunch of cucumber and grassy fresh dill. It's a great make-ahead recipe and the perfect summer side dish alongside smoked fish, BBQ meats, or grilled feta cheese.

This is similar to the popular German "gurkensalat" but without sliced onions. I also use thicker slices of cucumber as opposed to the thinly shaved ribbons common with that dish. The simple vinegar dressing is very easy and oil-free, in fact, the only laborious thing about this easy cucumber salad recipe is waiting for the cucumbers to release their excess moisture over a sieve before assembling.

Jump to:

• 📖 Ingredients List
• 👩🏼‍🍳 Instructions
• 👩🏼‍🍳 Chef's Tips & Serving suggestions
• 🍷 Wine pairing for pickled cucumber salad
• ❄️ Storage & Freezing
• 🥣 Equipment
• ❓Recipe FAQ
• 🍽 Other easy salad recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

📖 Ingredients List

1. Cucumbers—The kind of cucumbers you use will depend on what is available at your grocery store. I use English cucumbers, but Persian cucumbers will also work, as will regular garden cucumbers. We peel them, and certain varieties of cucumbers also have seeds that are tough and bitter, so you can scoop them out.
2. Dill—Fresh dill is one of my favorite fresh herbs and is a perfect flavor combination for fresh cucumbers in this simple salad.
3. White wine vinegar - You can also use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar in the simple vinegar dressing. Don't use balsamic.
4. Water - We use cold water in place of oil in the dressing.
5. Sugar - Use fine white sugar, just to take the edge off the tangy vinegar dressing.
6. Salt and Pepper - we need to salt the cucumbers first and then crack over some pepper before serving.

👩🏼‍🍳 Instructions

1. Peel off the skin with a vegetable peeler and then slice cucumbers into round or other shapes.
2. Place a sieve over a bowl. Layer the cucumber slices in the sieve and sprinkle salt between each layer to help the cucumbers release their water. Leave for around 45 minutes, occasionally giving them a good stir.
3. Arrange the thin slices on a serving dish. Make the pickled dressing by shaking together the vinegar, water, and sugar and then pour it over the cucumbers.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the pickled cucumber salad for one hour, then grate over some fresh black pepper and garnish with fresh dill before serving.

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef's Tips & Serving suggestions

I love to serve this pickled cucumber salad with a smoked fish terrine and leafy greens or these easy fish goujons with tartar sauce. This delicious salad is the perfect summer side dish with all the flavor and texture, that won't overpower the main course.

Love cucumber recipes? Try this Asian cucumber salad too; it's delicious.

🍷 Wine pairing for pickled cucumber salad

Serve an Austrian Grüner Veltliner with light, pickled dishes like this. It has the bright citrus acidity to stand up to the pickled flavor but is green and fresh enough not to overpower it.

❄️ Storage & Freezing

Store leftover cucumber salad in an airtight container in the fridge and consume it within 3-4 days. This dish does not freeze well. But it does work really well if you make it to enjoy the next day so the dressing can pickle the cucumbers even more and give them the best flavor.

🥣 Equipment

You will need a vegetable peeler, a sieve, and a large bowl. I like to lay the cucumbers on a flat serving dish rather than in a bowl, but this is your rodeo and you can display your classic salad with cucumbers and dill however you wish.

❓Recipe FAQ

🍽 Other easy salad recipes

Looking for other summer salad recipes like this? Try these:

📖 Recipe