Delicious Dish: Pickled "Under the Sea" Cucumber Salad

With Summer right around the corner, I'm always looking for delicious salads recipes to throw together for BBQs and family dinners that don't take much time and effort but look and taste amazing.

For our epic themed 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea book club this month, I thought this would be a perfect salad to try out. I think it might be my new go-to side dish! It's light and refreshing, has a nice texture and crunch, and something different than the tried and true ho-hum green salads we're used to.

Pickled Cucumber Salad

2 Large cucumbers, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
1 red onion, thinly sliced (I like them thin so I used 1/16 on my Kitchen Aid Slicer)
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup loosely chopped fresh dill plus extra for garnish

A little secret to easily peeling your vegetables is buying a peeler similar to this pink KIWI one at an asian market or here on Amazon.  They are super cheap (at least when I found mine) and they are the best I have ever used...I don't dread peeling things now.

 Before slicing your vegetables, mix the sugar and rice wine vinegar together and allow to dissolve.

Next, slice the cucumbers 1/4 inch thick and slice the red onion (I only used half of an onion) 1/16 thick or 1/32 thick.

I'm a little accident prone, so I can't recommend gloves like these enough.  Perfect protection from cutting your fingers while using a slicer or grater.

Mix the dressing and the vegetables together and allow to meld in the refrigerator for 1 hour.  

After sitting, the cucumbers will start to soften and the juices will create a lot of excess liquid.  Feel free to drain the excess and then toss with feta, your chopped dill, and salt and pepper and garnish with a little extra dill just before serving. 

  

Luckily, my husband is a better cook than I am but for all you other unfortunate souls, even your non-cooking significant other can handle a recipe like this. Win!

Have leftovers or need to stretch it out for a big group? Extend this recipe by tossing it with romaine lettuce, adding some chopped salami and your favorite dressing (Try THIS one from Karen.  It's a book club favorite and pairs well with a variety of salads.  I will always have it on hand!)

Happy cooking and happy summer all!  (All photos by me, Summer Nicole Photo. :)

Enjoy,

Summer