A cool summer salad, and a vegan option too!
In the summer, cucumbers are abundant and serve as a base for a wide variety of tasty and cooling dishes. Chilled soups, refreshing drinks, sandwiches, and many salads, not to mention pickles!
We love the traditional tzatziki dip which combines grated cucumbers, yoghurt, garlic, lemon juice and a little oil. But if you don’t want to bury the beautiful cucumbers in the dressing, change things just a little to make this dish more of a plated salad.
A quick pickle!
A quick pickle of a purple onion adds a little more zing to this salad, and I swapped out the lemon for a nice juicy lime. Salting and draining the cucumbers removes a tremendous amount of liquid from the cucumbers which keeps them from weeping into the yoghurt while it sits, and also concentrates the cucumber flavor. You will rinse the salt off.
In this case, I used a cashew yoghurt, but you can also use coconut or dairy. Just look for plain, unsweetened.
A little tang, a little sour, a little sweet, and a little heat. All adjusted to your own liking.
Cucumber Salad with Lime Yoghurt
- 1 English Cucumber
- 1 tbsp. salt
For the pickles:
- 1 purple onion, sliced into thin rings
- 1 cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 tbsp. agave syrup
For the yoghurt:
- 1 ½ cup plain, unsweetened plant or dairy yoghurt
- 1 tsp. agave syrup
- Zest and juice of one lime
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- Sriracha, or favorite hot sauce, to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
Everything else:
- Greens and flowers to garnish, optional
- A few minced herbs of choice
- Extra virgin olive oil
Slice the cucumbers into thin rounds. I used a mandoline, but you can also use a sharp knife. If you want to make the rounds a little more decorative, scrape the sides of the cucumber with the tines of a fork vertically, all around, which makes tiny score lines around the edge. Optional, but fun.
Place the cucumbers in a mesh strainer over a bowl and sprinkle with a hefty tablespoon of salt. Let this sit for an hour.
Now make the pickles. Cut the onion into thin rings, or strips, your choice. Place in a bowl. In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, water, salt, and syrup. Bring to a simmer and pour over the onions. Let this sit for an hour too.
Once the cucumbers have drained, rinse them in water to remove the salt, and place on toweling to dry.
Combine the yoghurt, agave, lime zest and juice, garlic, hot sauce, and season with salt and pepper.
Place greens on a large platter, and make a puddle in the middle with the yoghurt
Arrange the cucumbers on top, (if you are pressed for time, just mound them) and add the onion rings and any garnishes you like. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil.
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We’ve been unseasonably cool in Kentucky up to a couple weeks ago. Now we are running into the mid-80s (~30C), and as it gets hotter in August, this will be a welcome addition to our summer menu! thanx!!! c.a.
Ah thanks! It’s a delicious salad, and invites with the eyes first!
This salad is stunning! And I have cucumbers coming out my ears! I know it’s easy to pickle onions, but I don’t have them around, and then forget if I think about them, so I actually bought a jar of them for next time I need them in a pinch. I even have nasturtiums!
Thank you Mimi, it sounds like you are all set!
A beautiful salad. Your presentation is perfect. This sounds wonderful to me, now that the heat and humidity are coming on strong.
Thank you Ally! I do like to make it pretty, but there has to be the flavor to back it up!
Sounds good, and it certainly makes a beautiful presentation.
Thank you Judy! It’s tasty and pretty!
What a show topping salad! It sounds divine, I love tzatziki!
Thank you Jenna! It’s kind of deconstructed and artfully arranged tzatziki!
Cooling cucumber salad perfect for summer weather. Wonderful presentation and great recipe Dorothy.
Thank you so much for stopping by! I love a summer salad, and this one was a hit!
This is such a pretty salad! And it sounds delicious! Perfect for summer!
Thank you Nancy! It’s summer on a platter!
Great presentation! Love such fresh, crunchy salads. I’m into pickling lately, so will no doubt make the pickled onions soon. 🙂
Thank you Ronit! The onions really make this dish sing! I use these in so many way, usually a jar sitting in my refrigerator!
Light and refreshing, which is wonderful during these extremely hot days of summers. I really enjoy your recipes, and I love the photos.
Thank you so much Jenny! I do try to show off the dishes in their best light! This recipe is a light and refreshing salad, packed with flavor.
This salad looks so delicious and very refreshing!
Thank you! It was really tasty, and perfect with hot, humid weather.
What a beautiful presentation and fabulous recipe!
We picked our first cucumber from our garden yesterday! Woo hoo!
Yes!!!! Cucumber season has begun!
Thank you Diane! It made a lovely centerpiece for a small gathering!
I love the combination of cucumber and yogurt! And that pickled onions 😋😋😋 Oh yum 😋
Thank you! the pickled onions are one of the best parts of the dish, and I have enough left over to perk up a sandwich or two!
How pretty this looks, Dorothy. As you have often said – we firstly eat with our eyes! So true. Not only does this presentation zing, I’m sure the taste would be equal to the challenge.
xoxoxo
Thank you my dear! It has just the right zing!
😋the perfect summer on your plate
Thank you! It really does taste like summer!
It is blazing hot here in New Jersey and cucumbers are blooming all over the state. I definitely will make this cooling recipe.
Hope you enjoy it as much as we did Bern!
Ooh I can’t wait to try this. I’ve never even tried the kind of light pickling you describe here but I’m excited to! This sounds like such a great combination of flavors.
I hope you enjoy it! Quick pickles are delicious and take hardly any time!
The salad sounds lovely and refreshing, Dorothy…the cucumbers here are short and squat with a lot of seeds the closest to an English cucumber are called Japanese cucumbers here but they are the same as the English nice and crisp 🙂
Thanks Carol, it is refreshing. Good luck with whatever cucumbers you have, they are one of my favorite summer treats!!
As usual, your presentation makes it almost too pretty to eat! I love the tip about using the fork to score the length of cucumber. I have a channel knife tool that I use to do something similar, but your trick sounds so much simpler, and with the same effect. The extra zing of sriracha in the yogurt and the pickled onions convinces me I have to make this! I have a couple of kirby cukes in the fridge; do you think I could substitute?
Thank you Terrie! You can absolutely substitute with the Kirby cukes, they would be delicious. I love the zing from both the sriracha and the pickled onions, which happens to be one of my favorite little condiments.
this looks very attractive and i love the sound of the pickled cukes and onions.
looks delightful and i love pickled veg so i bet it has a great tangy flavour.
Thank you Sherry! Yes, the pickles really perk it up!
What a stunningly beautiful salad!
Thank you Julia! One of our favorites.
So luscious and healthy look. Has to be delicious! 🍴💗
Thank you! It was tasty indeed!
And it looks so pretty! I love how you put this dish together!