In this post I’m sharing a classic brined Cucumber Salad Recipe.
We are in the midst of the growing season in the South so the cucumbers are plentiful. What do you do with all those cucumbers? Top salads, make pickles, slice them and sprinkle with a touch of salt for snacks.
Yes to all of those, and of course, make the classic old fashioned Cucumber Salad. It’s likely you remember your grandmother making this cool summer side dish. When it’s hot, cool refreshing side dishes are always welcome.
There are team sweet, team salty and team tangy people who enjoy this dish. I prefer a nice balance of the sweet and salt so it doesn’t overwhelm the salad but still has that nice tang from the vinegar.
If you’ve been following Julia’s Simply Southern for a while, you’ve heard me say this before, recipes always vary according to who’s making it. Give the recipe a try and you can always adjust if needed to better suit your taste.
Easy Summer Side
Like many others, I don’t especially care for really heavy meals on the hottest days of summer. Light and fresh are always perfect, easier to digest and doesn’t make you feel weighted down.
It’s humid and we can barely breathe down here in the South! WHEW! Heavy meals can make you just drag along. No thank you. Sometimes just a cool vegetable plate is perfection. Plus there is minimal effort to prepare the meal.
Tangy Cucumber and Onion Salad with Vinegar
Ingredients
- 1/2 c White Vinegar
- 1/2 c Hot Water (from the faucet)
- 2 tbs Granulated Sugar
- 1 tbs Kosher Salt
- 2 Large Cucumbers
- 1/2 Vidalia Onion, thinly sliced
- Cracked Black Pepper, to taste (optional)
- 1 tsp Chopped Fresh Dill (optional)
Can You Make This Salad Ahead of Time?
Dill Cucumber and Vidalia Salad
Old Fashioned Southern Sweet and Tangy Cucumber Salad with Onion
Let’s make this Cucumber Salad Recipe!
Cucumber Salad
Classic Southern cucumber and Vidalia onion salad in a sweet and tangy vinegar dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 c White Vinegar
- 1/2 c Hot Water (from the faucet)
- 2 tbs Granulated Sugar
- 1 tbs Kosher Salt
- 2 Large Cucumbers
- 1/2 Vidalia Onion, thinly sliced
- Cracked Black Pepper, to taste (optional)
- 1 tsp Chopped Fresh Dill (optional)
Instructions
- To begin, we are going to make the brine or dressing if you prefer. Add the white vinegar (you can also use apple cider if that's your preference) and hot water to a mixing bowl.
- Add the sugar and kosher salt to the mixing bowl and whisk until completely dissolved. The liquid will be clear when everything is dissolved well.
- Allow the brine mixture to cool for half and hour.
- After the brine has cooled, peel the cucumbers. If desired, use the tines of a fork to score the sides of the cucumber. Scoring the cucumber makes a nicer presentation for me but it's completely optional.
- Slice the cucumber and add the slices to the brine. I slice the cucumbers about 1/4" or less while some prefer very thin slices, such as those you'll get from using a mandolin.
- Add the thinly sliced Vidalia onions to the brine with the cucumbers. Stir to combine everything together.
- Add cracked black pepper and fresh dill if desired.
- Cover and refrigerate one to three hours.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove salad from brine mixture before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Amount Per Serving: Calories: 44Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 163mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 1gSugar: 7gProtein: 1g
You may also be interested in:
Old School Pineapple Salad
Sautéed Kale Salad
See it at:
The Weekend Potluck
Meal Plan Monday
Meet Julia
Author of Julia's Simply Southern
About Julia
Hey Y'all! I'm Julia, the cook and writer behind the recipes here at Julia's Simply Southern. I began my website so that I could share easy to follow recipes that anyone can use to put a home cooked meal on the dinner table. Thanks so much for stopping by!
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Elise
Thursday 1st of September 2022
Do you think parsley would work in place of dill? I bought that on accident :)
Julia Jordan
Sunday 4th of September 2022
Hi Elise, Sorry for my delayed response. Dill has dill flavor while parsley doesn't really have any. You could certainly use the parsley though and skip the dill. ~Julia
Sue Lau
Friday 1st of February 2019
This is one of my favorites in the summer!
Anonymous
Monday 24th of July 2017
We love cucumber salads in the summer. I exchange STEVIA for the sugar ... that reduces the calories and it tastes great .... if you're diabetic or watching your weight ... this makes this dish a good one for you.
Gwen
Saturday 22nd of July 2017
I JUST picked 6 cukes last night. Thanks for the recipe :)
Julia
Saturday 22nd of July 2017
You're welcome Gwen! I hope you enjoy the salad. :)
marye
Friday 21st of July 2017
There's nothing more refreshing than a good cucumber salad! I love the way you made the edges a little extra fancy - pretty food just tastes better.
Julia
Friday 21st of July 2017
It really does Marye! Thank you.