marinated cucumbers

[Anne]

I'm looking for a good recipe for marinated cucumbers. I have a couple cukes I need to use fast.

I have a vague memmory of slicing them, soaking them in salted water, draining, adding thinly sliced onions to the cucumbers, then marinating them in a mild, white vinegar.

The closest recipe I could find was this -- but I'm sure I didn't add sesame oil or peanuts.

Cucumber Salad with Rice Vinegar Dressing CL 06/07

3 cups thinly sliced seeded peeled cucumber (about 2 medium)
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts

Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl; toss to coat cucumber. Sprinkle with onions and peanuts before serving.

[LakeMartinGal]

No recipe, but we always had cucumbers in sour cream with seasonings -- garlic, Italian seasoning, and my grandmother always put onions in hers -- that was before I learned to like onions! Sometimes, we used Italian salad dressing with the sour cream -- I suppose that would be the vinegar part.

[vbak]

Anne, when I marinate cukes, and it usually includes tomatoes, I slice onion very thinly and make a marinade of equal parts vinegar and sugar, and a little water. Oil or olive oil is a personal preference, so if I use the oil I don't add the water. I also add S&P. Sometimes I don't add the tomatoes.

[erin elizabeth]

Sounds like our traditional cuke salad:

Slice cukes thinly (mandolin or knife or box grater--peeled, sorta peeled, or not peeled). Place in colander in sink and salt generously. Let sit for about an hour. (To eat sooner, can do this in fridge so cukes are chilled and ready to eat.) Squeeze cukes and place into a bowl. Add a sprinkle of sugar and vinegar to taste (My dad prefers cider; I like plain, old, white vinegar). Chill until cold.

[charley]

This is how I make it.

4 TB. water
4 TB. rice vinegar
2 TB. sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground pepper
crushed red pepper flakes

Combine in small saucepan over low heat until sugar melts. Let cool then pour over sliced cukes and onions. Marinate for at least a couple hours.

[LeaHamm]

These are the 2 recipes I remember my Mother making when I was in elementary school and they are the recipes my daughters use.

Cucumbers & Onions

3 cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
1 medium to large onion, thinly sliced
2/3 cup cider or white vinegar
2/3 cup water
2-3 tablespoons sugar - optional
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Layer the cucumbers and onions in a bowl. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour the over the cucumbers and onions. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
[The sugar isn't really necessary, but mellows the vinegar solution. I usually add a layer of ice cubes before refrigerating. Most Asian Cucumber and Onion recipes are pretty much the same but they add 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and sometimes a little oil.]

Cucumbers in Sour Cream ~

2 large cucumbers, peeled, thinly sliced, drained
1 cup sour cream
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill, or 1 tablespoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Combine cucumbers, sour cream, onion, dill, salt and pepper. Refrigerate 30 minutes, or longer, before serving.

[Anne]

Thanks for all the help. I never realized something so simple could have so many variations. I'm not sure which I'll try. We may have to take a family vote on it.

[hAndyman]

Another one for you, Anne, colourful with the extra added veggies and with a bit of a bite from the hot chili. First made this 30 years ago when I started doing some Thai cooking. I still make it.

Thai Cucumber Salad

1 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 large cucumber, halved lengthwise, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced
1 large carrot, sliced
1 small onion, halved and sliced
1/2 sweet red or green pepper, julienned
1/4 tsp crushed red chili pepper

In a small saucepan heat vinegar and sugar for 5 minutes to dissolve sugar. Let cool completely. Put remaining ingredients in a bowl that has a tight cover and add vinegar mixture. Marinate at least 2 hours. Will keep in refrigerator up to a week.

Andy's note: If you use an English cucumber there’s no need to seed it. I usually scrape or gouge, with the tip of a veg. peeler, strips of peel off the cucumber, leaving attractive green and white stripes down the length of the cucumber before slicing. I would make this a day or two ahead of time to allow the veggies to “pickle”.

[mcgee]

These are the 2 recipes I remember my Mother making when I was in elementary school and they are the recipes my daughters use.

Cucumbers & Onions

3 cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
1 medium to large onion, thinly sliced
2/3 cup cider or white vinegar
2/3 cup water
2-3 tablespoons sugar - optional
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Layer the cucumbers and onions in a bowl. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour the over the cucumbers and onions. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
[The sugar isn't really necessary, but mellows the vinegar solution. I usually add a layer of ice cubes before refrigerating. Most Asian Cucumber and Onion recipes are pretty much the same but they add 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and sometimes a little oil.]

Cucumbers in Sour Cream ~

2 large cucumbers, peeled, thinly sliced, drained
1 cup sour cream
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill, or 1 tablespoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Combine cucumbers, sour cream, onion, dill, salt and pepper. Refrigerate 30 minutes, or longer, before serving.

These are exactly what my mother used to make. I loved them as a kid. The sour cream ones were a special treat.

[JMM74]

LeaHamm, I'm going to try your cukes in sour cream tonight, sounds delicious!

[Bawstinn]

Similar to other recipes posted, except for the addition of celery seed, I believe. I've been making this one for years. Came form Allrecipes.

Mom's Cucumbers

3 large cucumbers
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup white sugar
1/8 cup water
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 cup chopped onion

Peel the cucumbers and slice wafer thin. Sprinkle with salt. Let stand 30 minutes, then squeeze cucumbers to release moisture.

In a medium size bowl mix sugar, water, vinegar, celery seed, and onion. Add cucumbers to mixture. Mix well. Refrigerate 1 hour.

This one, from CL, is also very good:

Sweet-Spicy Cucumbers over Tomatoes

Be sure to use pickling cucumbers, which are shorter and thinner-skinned than regular cucumbers. Though 4 days is the maximum, the longer the cucumbers marinate, the spicier and more garlicky they'll become.

Cooking Light MAY 2003

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 2 tomato slices and about 1/3 cup cucumber mixture)

2 cups thinly sliced pickling cucumber (about 2 cucumbers)
1 cup thinly sliced Vidalia or other sweet onion
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 whole dried red chiles
16 (1/4-inch-thick) slices tomato
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Arrange half of cucumber in a 9-inch pie plate. Top with half of onion. Repeat procedure with remaining cucumber and onion.

Combine vinegar and next 5 ingredients (vinegar through chiles) in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Pour hot vinegar mixture over cucumber mixture. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 1 to 4 days.

Arrange tomato slices on a platter; sprinkle evenly with 1/8 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Remove cucumber mixture from marinade with a slotted spoon; arrange over tomato slices.

[Carol SC]

LeeHamm, I make my cucumbers the way you do except I add a tablespoon of brown sugar. Many years ago a neighbor gave me the recipe and we always like it this way. In fact, we received cucumbers in our CSA box this week so I have just made the cucumbers for lunch. I also want to try Andy's Thai recipe. It is a little more complex than the ecipe I have made in the past.

[Anne]

Sounds like our traditional cuke salad:

Slice cukes thinly (mandolin or knife or box grater--peeled, sorta peeled, or not peeled). Place in colander in sink and salt generously. Let sit for about an hour. (To eat sooner, can do this in fridge so cukes are chilled and ready to eat.) Squeeze cukes and place into a bowl. Add a sprinkle of sugar and vinegar to taste (My dad prefers cider; I like plain, old, white vinegar). Chill until cold.

I used this method since it is closest to what I remember. I added onions and I'm marinating them for a day because I didn't get to them until 9 last night. I think I barely used the cukes in time, they had a few soft spots but no mold or watery areas. I'll try branching out into something different next time I can find organic cukes. The sour cream and asian versions look particularly good.

[oct2189]

Leahamm, I had 9-10 Persian cukes I needed to do something with before it was to late. Used your cucumber & onion recipe and it was fantastic! I made it yesterday and I've managed to singlehandedly polish them off.
Thank you

[Carol SC]

This is not exactly "in the box", but this recipe is so good that I wanted to share. It is from an early (1992) Cooking Light cookbook titled, "The Healthy Heart Cookbook".

Easy Refrigerator Pickles

6 cups thinly sliced cucumber (about 13/4 pounds)
2 cups thinly sliced onion
4 cloves peeled whole garlic
1-1/2 cups vinegar (I used white)
3/4 to 1 cup sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp celery seeds
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)

Place half of cucumber in a large bowl; top with half of onion. Repeat layers with remaining cucumber and onion.

Combine vinegar and remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan; stir well. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil 1 minute. Pour hot mixture over cucumber and onion; let cool. Cover and marinate in refrigerator at least 4 days, stirring twice each day. Yield: 7 cups (37 calories and 2% fat per 1/4-cup serving.

This is so good on sandwiches!

[LeaHamm]

Leahamm, I had 9-10 Persian cukes I needed to do something with before it was to late. Used your cucumber & onion recipe and it was fantastic! I made it yesterday and I've managed to singlehandedly polish them off.
Thank you

I'm glad you like it. At least 4 generations of my family have used this recipe.

Leah