A lot of my friends have fond memories of their grandmother’s chicken soup or their mom’s amazing brisket. Sadly, I don’t have these sacred food memories. My Jewish grandmother (who I love dearly) is not such a great cook. Her kugel is always dried out, her soup is too fatty and needs salt, and she serves jarred gefilte fish at holidays, which more closely resembles lint from a dryer than something edible.
But one of the dishes she makes that I do enjoy is her marinated cucumber salad. It’s a dish that she learned to make from her grandmother (my great-great grandmother) who lived most of her life in Russia.
I updated her recipe just a bit, using a larger seedless English cucumber instead of regular cucumbers, and adding a bit of spice with just a pinch of red pepper flakes. I also love serving my salad in mason jars — definitely a modern twist.
This quick salad is a cinch to whip up, keeps for several days in the fridge and is a real crowd-pleaser. My young daughter devours it, and even my father-in-law approves — truly the ultimate compliment.
Note: This recipe needs to chill for several hours or overnight.
Quick Pickled Cucumber Salad
This easy marinated cucumber salad is based on my great-great grandmother’s recipe.
- Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 large seedless English cucumber
- 1 yellow or red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 2–3 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Slice cucumber ¼–½ inch thick.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together vinegar, water, sugar, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and dill.
- Add thinly sliced cucumber and onion to bowl, and mix until liquid coats all the cucumber and onion.
- Place salad into container and allow to chill several hours or overnight.
Notes
This recipe needs to chill for several hours or overnight.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes + 3 hours chill time
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Vegan
- Method: Quick
- Cuisine: Ashkenazi
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kugel
Prounounced: KOO-gull (oo as in book), Origin: Yiddish, traditional Ashkenazi casserole frequently made with egg noodles or potatoes.
I’ve used this recipe for years. It’s exactly what my Mom used to make. Very quick and very delicious.
★★★★★
One of my fav dishes my Mom always made and served. Mouth watering now thinking about it. Can’t wait to try
★★★★★