Asian Cucumber Salad

These tasty Asian Cucumbers, with a sweet and spicy dressing, thin sliced green onions, and toasted sesame seeds are the perfect side dish for grilled chicken, grilled or baked fish, or grilled shrimp.

Course salad/side

Cuisine Asian

Keyword Asian cucumber salad recipe, cucumber salad Asian, how to make Asian cucumber salad

Prep Time 20

Servings servings

Calories 58kcal

Author Beth Pierce

Ingredients

1 lb cucumbers preferably English cucumbers
¾ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 ½ teaspoons sesame oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon grated ginger
½ teaspoon chili paste sambal oelek
2 green onions thinly sliced
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

Add the sliced cucumbers to a bowl in several layers sprinkling layers with salt. Set the bowl aside for about 15 minutes and let the salt do its magic by drawing out the moisture.
In a small bowl, whisk the rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and chili paste together.
Drain any excess moisture from the cucumbers, pat them dry with paper towels, and drizzle with the Asian cucumber dressing. Toss to coat and top with thinly sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds.

Notes

Slice the cucumbers a little less than 1/4 inch thick. Use English cucumbers for tender skins that don’t need peeling.
If you prefer to place the cucumbers in a colander in the sink and sprinkle with salt, that method works well too.
Mix the dressing up to 2 days in advance. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
In a large dry skillet over medium-high heat, add the sesame seeds and cook until lightly toasted, shaking the skillet several times. Remove the sesame seeds into a small bowl and add to the dish right before serving.
Sambal Oelek (ground fresh chili paste) can be found in the Asian food section of the grocery store. It has a very long shelf life (6-9 months) if stored in the fridge. Use it for some of my other recipes, like Bang Bang Shrimp.
l like to use ginger paste. 1 tablespoon of paste equals 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger. Always store it in the fridge. It stays fresh for up to a month.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. The cucumbers will not be as crisp, but the salad will still be delicious.

Nutrition