German Cucumber Salad (Gurkensalat)
Growing up, Gurkensalat meant summer. There wasn’t a meal that this German cucumber salad couldn’t compliment. (Yes, our family was fancy. Alex’s family just called it “pickles”.)
Whatever you call it, a good cucumber salad can’t be beat in the summer. We’ve vinegar-philes in this household, so we’ve been dying to get our hands on some cucumbers. The recipe is my family’s standard, tweaked a bit for our taste. It’s easy to prepare, and requires only a few ingredients. It’s a great accompaniment to a summer meal (perhaps some burgers?).
Got lots of cucumbers? We’re still waiting on our garden cucumbers, but we’ve got lots in store for them, including this recipe!
German Cucumber Salad (Gurkensalat)
Serves about 8
What You Need
2 large cucumbers
1 large yellow onion
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 to 2 tablespoons white sugar
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
What To Do
1 Slice the cucumbers as thin as you can (use a mandoline if you have one). Peel and thinly slice the onion. Layer the slices in a large shallow bowl, sprinkling salt between each layer and alternating onion layers between cucumbers.
2 Let stand for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, then drain thoroughly.
3 Transfer to a serving bowl. Add 1/2 cup white vinegar and 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar (we like it on the vinegary side, so we prefer 1 tablespoon). Add fresh ground pepper and more salt, if desired. Taste and adjust seasonings.
4 Place in the fridge and let sit for at least 10 to 15 minutes to chill; or, the original recipe states to stir in a few ice cubes and let stand for 5 minutes. And leftovers are best — the taste is even better the next day!
Tags: Cucumbers, Healthy, Onion, Salads, Summer, Vegan, Vegetarian
18 Comments
Jacqueline
15 Jul 2011 03:07 am
I haven’t tried a cucumber salad like this before. I feel I am missing out. SO simple, but I bet it packs a punch and I am liking the thought of it on a burger.
Sonja
15 Jul 2011 10:07 am
When I mentioned burgers I was thinking of the cucumbers as a side, but I love the idea of using them as a burger topping! Great thought :)
Jess
15 Jul 2011 08:07 am
This is one of our favorite summer salads! What a great way to use all the cucumbers we have in the garden!
Lindsay @ Pinch of Yum
15 Jul 2011 08:07 am
When I was in Ukraine a few years ago, we would have a similar salad except it had tomatoes in it. I love the acidity from the vinegar! yum.
BTW – just got a fabulous book in the mail yesterday! :) Bjork read it to me while I was making dinner. New tradition! :) Thanks you two!!
Alex
15 Jul 2011 09:07 am
Yum, that would excellent with tomatoes - like pickled salsa...
I'm imagining Bjork reading it in his best Bittmanesque New York accent :)
Dani
15 Jul 2011 12:07 pm
A German recipe, yay! Great salad, I love cucumbers! Best regards from sunny Germany :)
Marilyn
15 Jul 2011 12:07 pm
I am starting to get great gobs of cucumbers and I brought some into work today. My co-worker and I were just talking about this salad. Thanks for posting so timely!
Kelly
15 Jul 2011 12:07 pm
Delicious and so healthy!! Love it! (And I also love that super cute picture of your pup at the bottom of your blog, adorable!)
Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
15 Jul 2011 02:07 pm
I love cucumbers! And that you can make the fancy is just icing on the cake!
Heidi @ Food Doodles
15 Jul 2011 02:07 pm
Yum! That sounds just like what my husbands Opa makes!! I tried to recreate it but it wasn’t as good. I’m trying this recipe for sure :D Thank you!
Debbie
15 Jul 2011 08:07 pm
My mother used to make this and I never paid attention to how she made it. She’s no longer alive so I couldn’t ask her. Anytime I tried to make it it never tasted the same. I was missing the sugar.The one thing she did differently was to put a few ice cubes in it to, in her words, crisp it up.
Sonja
16 Jul 2011 10:07 am
Funny - our recipe also called for stirring in a few ice cubes too, but I left it out since I thought the refrigerator would do something similar. I'll have to try it again and see if it "crisps up" like your mom alleges! :)
Amanda
15 Jul 2011 09:07 pm
I’ve had many a cucumber salad with vinegar, but I’ve never added sugar before, nor have I let the cucumbers set out to release some of the water content. I followed your recipe and the results were fantastic. This is my new go-to. I like knowing the German name for it, too; it makes it more special.
Sonja
16 Jul 2011 10:07 am
I'm so glad you liked it! Yes, Gurkensalat sounds much more fancy than plain old cucumber salad, doesn't it? :)
Tiffany
16 Jul 2011 11:07 pm
Today, I made a cucumber salad with the kids I volunteer with. Your version looks fantastic!
Parsley Sage
17 Jul 2011 11:07 am
Perfect summertime (gurken)salad. Looks amazing :) Buzzed!
Foy Update – Cook. Garden. Write. Repeat.
17 Jul 2011 09:07 pm
My German Grandma made this salad but she added a bit of dressing (mayo) to the sauce. She also used to save the dill pickles vinegar so she could drain the sweet pickles and put them in the dill juice.
penandra
18 Jul 2011 02:07 pm
I grew up in a Polish household and this was a staple in our house growing up — with fresh cucumbers from Dad’s garden. Thanks for the memories! This is on the menu for this evening (and I am a very happy camper looking forward to it!). ;-)
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