Whether you’re an avid backyard gardener with bushels of fresh cucumbers to spare or just love the cool, crunchy vegetable—we’ve got just the thing for you. By marinating seedless cucumber slices in this creamy, herby concoction, you’ll end up with one of the best side dishes you’ll taste all summer.
*Marinating this salad for 4 hours yields great flavor and crisp cucumbers. After 12 hours, the texture will suffer.
Buttermilk Cucumber Salad
Yields: 6 servings
Ingredients
- ½ cup crème fraîche
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 1 clove garlic, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Sea salt, to taste
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 large English cucumbers, sliced
- 3 fresh red Thai chiles, very thinly sliced
- ½ cup drained Pickled Red Onion (recipe follows)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together crème fraîche, buttermilk, mayonnaise, tarragon, chives, parsley, dill, garlic, and lemon zest and juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- In a medium bowl, combine cucumber, chiles, and Pickled Red Onion; toss with buttermilk dressing. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.
Pickled Red Onion
Yields: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring vinegar, sugar, ¼ cup water, and salt to a boil. Cook, stirring frequently, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; add onion. Let stand until cool. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Store in an airtight jar for up to 2 weeks.
