With fresh ginger zing, rice vinegar tang, rice wine sweetness, and the kick of red pepper flakes, this refreshing sweet and spicy Cucumber Ginger Salad boasts extraordinary flavor!
Click here to PIN Sweet and Spicy Cucumber Ginger Salad.
This simple cucumber salad is classic Japanese Sunomono, a delicate oil-free sweet and tangy vinegar dressing traditionally served with cucumbers. Sunomono dressings sometimes include a drop or two of soy sauce, but for me, the dressing tastes best without the salty toasted caramel flavor. It’s an option for you.
A sprinkle of black sesame seeds adds eye candy. You can certainly use regular sesame seeds instead.
What I learned from Mom:
- For decorative flair, Mom would run the tines of a fork lengthwise down the outside of the cucumber, after peeling and before cutting the cucumber in half.
- Mom also taught me to scrape the seeds out of cucumbers. Without the seeds, cucumbers taste like crisp sweet melon, so cutting out the seeds gives cucumbers more universal appeal. Did you know–melons, pumpkins, and squashes are cucumber cousins, botanical relatives?
Sweet and Spicy Cucumber Ginger Salad notes:
- I like to salt and drain the cucumbers first. The salt pulls out moisture and gives the cucumbers a crisper texture. You can skip the step but I think it’s worth the extra time. (Salting and draining zucchini for 15 minutes helps improve the texture and flavor of the summer squash too.)
- You can prep the cucumbers and the sweet and sour dressing beforehand, but don’t mix them together. You want to toss everything together no more than an hour before serving.
If you are using regular American slicing cucumbers, you always want to remove the skin. Why?
- First, the thick skin is coated with wax for keeping ability and protection during shipping.
- Second, unless they’re organic, cucumbers are #16 on the list of the highest number of pesticides on commercial produce. Not to bum you out—just peel your cucumbers. Or, grow them yourself or buy them at the Farmer’s Market.
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Serving idea: This cucumber ginger salad is fun to serve in a bowl with mung bean thread noodles, the clear noodles that soften in boiling water. You might be familiar with bean thread noodles–they often go in rice paper spring rolls. Bean thread noodles (Affiliate link) are inexpensive and readily available in the Asian foods aisle in well-stocked grocery stores.
Recipe adapted from one in Tassajara Dinners and Desserts (Affiliate link) by Dale and Melissa Kent.
#eatseasonal
This recipe is an update of the cucumber ginger salad I posted in 2016. Back then, Becky of Vintage Mixer blog would gather a group of food bloggers to share seasonal produce recipes. Her first post each month was a roundup of seasonal veggie and fruit recipe ideas and from her list, we bloggers would create new recipes and share each others’ on our blogs.
Below are links to the yummy recipes we came up with that June. Do they sound tempting or what? I hope they inspire you to get in the kitchen and cook something seasonal, and delicious!
Strawberry, Raspberry and Rhubarb Crisp by Completely Delicious
Hoisin Buffalo Burgers with Spicy Slaw by Cookin’ Canuck
Blueberry-Basil Swirled Ice Cream by Floating Kitchen
Strawberries and Cream Oat Bars by The Vintage Mixer
Cucumber Noodle Tzatziki Salad by Flavor the Moments
Rhubarb Almond Danishes by Food For My Family
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Sweet and Spicy Cucumber Ginger Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound cucumbers , about 3
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon mirin (rice wine)
- 2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon tamari soy sauce , optional, (see note)
- 1 teaspoon toasted black sesame seeds (see note)
Instructions
- Peel the cucumbers and trim the ends. Run the tines of a fork in parallel lines down the length of the cucumbers to score what will be decorative lines on the slices.
- Slice thinly, about 1/8-inch thick. Sprinkle the slices with salt; let drain in a colander over a plate 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse and drain the cucumbers on towels. (see note)
- Make a dressing with the vinegar, mirin, ginger, red pepper flakes, and soy sauce, if using. Toss the cucumber with the dressing and the sesame seeds. Refrigerate to marinate about an hour.
Notes
- Sunomono dressings sometimes include a drop or two of soy sauce. For me, the dressing tastes best without the salty toasted caramel flavor. It's your option.
- You can use regular sesame seeds instead of black sesame seeds.
- You can skip salting and draining the cucumbers before adding the dressing, but the added step draws moisture out which gives the cucumbers a crisper texture.
- You can prep the cucumbers and the dressing ahead of time, but keep them separate. Toss everything together shortly before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is meant to be an estimate only. The numbers will vary based on the quantity consumed, brands used and substitutions you make.
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