Cucumber Salad with Cream and Dill — Crisp Instead of Watery
Yvonne Ammann VegetarianSlice the cucumber thinly, toss with 1 tsp salt and let stand 15 minutes, then pour off the water and lightly squeeze the slices. Dressing of cream, vinegar, mustard, dill and pepper. Salting first is the whole difference — without it the salad is swimming after ten minutes.
Cucumber salad is the summer salad that is fastest to make and most often goes wrong: after ten minutes it sits in a puddle and the dressing is thin. The reason is the cucumber itself — it is 95 percent water, which the salt in the dressing draws out. The fix is to draw the water out first. Then it stays crisp, and the cream dressing stays a cream dressing.
Ingredients
- 2 pieces Cucumbers
- 1 tsp Salt
Dressing
- 1½ dl Double cream
- 2 tbsp White wine vinegar
- 1 tsp Mustard
- ½ tsp Sugar
- ½ bunch Dill
- 1 piece Garlic clove (optional)
- Pepper
Method
- 1
Slice the cucumber
Wash the cucumbers — no need to peel — and slice thinly with a mandoline or the slicing side of a grater, about 2 mm.
- 2
Salt
Toss the slices with the salt in a sieve and let stand over a bowl for 15 minutes. A surprising amount of water collects.
- 3
Squeeze
Lightly squeeze the cucumber by hand, without crushing. Do not rinse — the salt seasons the dressing.
- 4
Dressing
Mix the cream with the vinegar, mustard, sugar, chopped dill, crushed garlic and pepper. Fold in the cucumber, let stand 5 minutes, scatter with dill.
Tips
- The vinegar version instead of cream: 3 tbsp vinegar, 3 tbsp oil, 1 tsp sugar, dill. Lighter, and keeps longer. The yoghurt version: 150 g Greek yoghurt instead of cream, and it is nearly a tzatziki.
- Cucumber salad is best in the first hour. It keeps until the next day but softens — and salting and squeezing is why it does not end up swimming.
- Swiss cucumbers come from greenhouses May to October. Thick ridge cucumbers from farms have more flavour but big seeds — halve and scoop the seeds out with a spoon.
What can I substitute?
Soured cream is the Austrian version and sharper — then less vinegar. Yoghurt is light, crème fraîche thick and rich.
Chives are the standard Swiss version. Mint makes it summery and suits barbecued food.
Lemon is fresher and suits the yoghurt version. Cider vinegar milder for children.
Nutrition per serving
Estimated from the ingredients.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my cucumber salad turn watery?
Because the salt in the dressing draws the water out of the cucumber — and that is 95 percent of it. Salt the cucumber first, let stand 15 minutes, squeeze. Then the water is out before the dressing goes on, and the salad stays creamy.
Do you have to peel cucumbers?
No. The skin has flavour and bite and is thin on shop cucumbers. Peel ridge cucumbers with thick, bitter skin. A middle way: peel in stripes, which also looks nice.
How long does cucumber salad keep?
With cream dressing until the next day, with vinegar dressing two days. It softens but stays good. Salted, squeezed cucumber without dressing keeps two days in the fridge — handy for prepping ahead.
What goes with cucumber salad?
Anything from the barbecue, schnitzel, fish goujons, fried potatoes. As part of a summer salad platter with tomatoes and potato salad. With yoghurt alongside falafel or gyros.
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