Ever since I started my research internship at the KNMI (Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute), this salad has been part of my go-to lunch if I have the ingredients on hand. It is super simple to make with only 5 ingredients, it takes less than 10 minutes to prepare, and it is really tasty too! And it will even taste better if you let it sit for a while, so the flavors can really mix together.
The combination of cucumber and dill makes this salad really fresh and summery, and the dressing adds a little bit of sweetness. Don’t skip the red onion though, because it will add a lot of flavor and depth to the salad. If you don’t have fresh dill on hand you could definitely use dried dill as well. Just make sure you get your hands on good quality dried dill. Personally I love using freeze-dried dill, as I feel like it preserves the flavor better than normal dried dill.
You can definitely make this in larger batches too and eat it throughout the week. If you store it in the fridge it will keep for at least 3 days. Because you only need a few ingredients, I would recommend getting the best quality produce to get the best flavor.
- one cucumber
- salt
- ¼ small red onion (about 25 grams)
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup (about 7 grams)
- 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar (about 10 ml)
- 1 to 2 sprigs of fresh dill (or 1 teaspoon freeze-dried dill)
- Slice your cucumber in half length wise, and remove the seeds with a spoon. Then slice the cucumber really thin using a sharp knife or a mandolin.
- Transfer the cucumber slices to a large colander and sprinkle with a generous amount of salt. Don't worry about using too much, because you'll rinse the cucumbers later anyway.
- Finely slice your red onion and add them to the colander as well.
- Make your dressing by combining 1 teaspoon maple syrup with 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar and set aside.
- Rinse the cucumber and red onion with a generous amount of water and transfer to a bowl or large Tupperware. Mix in the dill and the dressing and let sit for at least 30 minutes. If you're using fresh dill, finely chop the leaves before adding them to the salad.
2 Comments
Unbelievable how well-written and informative this was.
Thank you Destiny! :)