Spicy Cucumber Salad with Pickled Red Onions

Growing up, one of my favorite summer dishes – alongside my dad’s Salt & Vinegar Chicken – was his creamy cucumber salad. This tangy, crunchy, cool treat refreshed us on long, humid summer nights. When the craving hit recently, I asked him for the recipe. He told me he didn’t really use one; he just thinly sliced cucumbers and white onions, mixing them with sour cream, white vinegar to thin it, and salt and pepper.

I saw this as a perfect opportunity to develop my own recipe, using his ingredient list as a base. I set out to recreate the salad with my own twist. I’d like to introduce you to Spicy Cucumber Salad with Pickled Red Onions. I’ve made a few notes below, but feel free to skip to the recipe at the bottom!

Salting and Draining the Cucumbers: My dad didn’t salt and drain his cucumbers, while Ina Garten salts hers for 4 hours or overnight. I tried one version without draining and wasn’t thrilled with the runny, muted results. Impatient to shorten Ina’s recommended time, I settled on one hour of salting and draining, followed by a hearty squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible. You could go longer, but I was happy with the results.

Pickled Onions: My dad used white onions, but I love the pop of color from red onions—especially when pickled. These vinegary bites help cut through heavier dishes. To turn up the volume, I added red pepper flakes for a little heat. As noted below, these can be ready in as little as an hour if you’re in a hurry, but I love them most after they’ve soaked for days, becoming more vinegary and spicy. Use leftover onions to top your eggs, tacos, or whatever you’d like!

Vinegar Choice: I experimented with three different vinegars for the pickled onions. Apple cider vinegar was pleasantly mild but too sweet for my taste. White wine vinegar was too strong, slapping you in the face with acid. Rice wine vinegar emerged as the winner, imparting a mild, not-too-sweet subtlety to the pickled onions.

Adding Heat: I love a cool creamy/hot spicy combination—think ranch or blue cheese for your hot wings. So, in addition to the red pepper flakes in the pickled onions, I wanted to finish with a little more heat. I tried four different options:

1. Crushed red pepper flakes: Overpowered the dish with their spice and flavor.
2. Gochugaru (ground Korean chili powder): Added nice complexity but not enough heat.
3. Shichimi Togarashi (a Japanese spice mixture): Provided the right amount of heat and delicious complexity, but its flavor competed with the other ingredients.
4. Cayenne: The perfect spice level that still allowed the other ingredients to shine. It doesn’t provide a fiery hit of heat—the cool, creamy ingredients temper it. It’s more of an after-spice at the back of your tongue.

Spicy Cucumber Salad with pickled red onions

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• Author: Trent
• Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 hothouse cucumbers
• 1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 1 cup pickled red onions (recipe below)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne (or togarashi, if preferred)

For the Pickled Red Onions 

• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

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Instructions

1. Slice 2 hothouse cucumbers into very thin circles – a mandoline makes quick work of this! I try to get them as thin as possible while maintaining an intact circle. 
2. Toss the cucumbers with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and mix well. Place cucumbers into a sieve resting over a large bowl. Let sit for at least one hour to allow liquid to drain. 
3. Meanwhile, place 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced in a jar with a lid (I use a mason jar). In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup rice wine vinegar, ⅓ cup water, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, and ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes.
4. Bring to a simmer over medium heat then carefully pour the hot liquid into the jar of onions. Place lid on, briefly shake, remove lid. If needed, press the onions down so they are fully submerged in the vinegar mixture. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before placing in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. 
5. After cucumbers have drained for an hour, squeeze out the excess moisture using a clean towel or your hands (Ina always says clean hands are a cook’s best friend). Discard cucumber juice and transfer cucumber slices to the bowl. Add pickled onions, ½ cup sour cream, 2 tablespoons vinegar from the pickled onions jar, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper and ¼ teaspoon Cayenne, mix thoroughly. Taste and add additional salt, pepper, and cayenne if needed
6. I recommend letting it chill in the refrigerator for an hour to allow the flavors to meld. 

Notes

Make ahead: Pickled onions will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks . They will become more vinegary and spicy as time passes. While they’ll be perfectly delicious after 30 minutes – they are my favorite after a 24 hour to 5 day soak!

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Inactive Time: 2 hours
• Cook Time: 10 minues
• Category: Salad