Asian Cucumber Salad

Best Cucumbers for Salads

My advice is to skip regular cucumbers. Their skins are thicker and they have more seeds than other varieties.

I prefer English cucumbers. Also known as European or hothouse cucumbers because they are often grown in greenhouses, these cucumbers have thinner skin, so there’s no need to peel them. They are longer and more slender and have less seeds.

Persian cucumbers are another thinner skinned option with minimal seeds. They are shorter and narrower in diameter than English cucumbers.

The Ingredients

This is what you need:

For salad:

• Cucumbers: Again, I prefer English cucumbers for their slender diameter, thin skin and lack of seeds. You can also use Persian cucumbers.
• Carrots: I usually buy pre-shredded carrots because they are a cleaner shred than how they turn out if you shred them on a box grater or the grating disc of a food processor.
• Scallions: For pleasant, light onion flavor, I include these thinly green onions. If you only have a red onion, you can use them very thinly sliced.
• Peanuts: To add some salty, nutty crunch, I stir chopped salted roasted peanuts into the salad. If you want more nuttiness, you can sprinkle on some sesame seeds too.
• Cilantro: For fresh herbs, this is the perfect choice with peanuts and cucumbers. If you aren’t a cilantro person, you can leave it out and add more sliced scallions.

For peanut vinaigrette:

• Peanut butter: Make sure to use smooth natural peanut butter. If it has hardened in the fridge, let it sit out a room temperature until it is a more soft and spreadable consistency.
• Ginger: The recipe calls for minced fresh ginger.
• Lime juice: For brightness and acidity, I whisk in the juice of a lime.
• Olive oil is the base for the vinaigrette.
• Soy sauce: I use soy sauce to give the dressing a little salty umami.
• Rice vinegar: For a more subtle vinegar flavor, I like the mild acidity of rice vinegar.
• Maple syrup: This gives the vinaigrette a touch of sweetness. You could use honey instead, but then the dressing will not be vegan.
• Red pepper flakes, kosher salt and black pepper season the dressing.

How To Make This Asian Cucumber Salad

1. Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl including the cucumbers, carrots, scallions, peanuts and cilantro.

2. Make the peanut vinaigrette. Whisk together the peanut butter, fresh ginger, garlic, lime juice, olive oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

3. Drizzle the dressing into the salad, tossing around the cucumbers and carrots, so everything is coated in the vinaigrette.

Leftovers & Storage

You can store leftovers in the fridge up to 3 days in an airtight container. The cucumbers may lose some of their crispness. If you are planning not to eat the entire salad, try to not dress the portion of the salad you are saving, so retains more of its bite. Then store that extra dressing in a mason jar. Let it sit out at room temperature for 15 minutes before stirring and tossing it into the salad.

More Salads with Cucumbers

Shishito Pepper Cucumber Salad
Watermelon Cucumber Corn Salad
Strawberry Cucumber Pasta Salad
Fattoush Salad
Chickpea Greek Salad
Chickpea Cucumber Salad
Cucumber White Bean Feta Salad
Pineapple Cucumber Salad

Check out my collection of simple seasonal salad recipes including some of my favorite ingredients and tips for making better salads.