Paraben Free Classic Cucumber Salad
Crisp, cool, and bursting with fresh flavor, this cucumber salad is the kind of dish that disappears fast at any table. Thin-sliced English cucumbers get a quick salt treatment to draw out excess moisture, which means every bite stays satisfyingly crunchy rather than watery. A simple dressing of white wine vinegar, olive oil, and just a touch of sugar brings a bright, lightly pickled tang that pairs beautifully with the fresh dill and sharp red onion. Every single ingredient here is a whole, recognizable food — no preservatives, no synthetic additives, nothing that raises a flag for those keeping a close eye on what goes into their meals. That kind of clean simplicity is surprisingly hard to find in store-bought salads and bottled dressings, which often sneak in stabilizers and chemical preservatives. Making it yourself takes only a handful of pantry staples and about 40 minutes of mostly hands-off time. It's the kind of effortless, feel-good side dish you'll want to keep on rotation all season long.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 2 large english cucumbers (about 2 lb total), thinly sliced
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ small red onion, very thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp fresh dill, roughly chopped
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- 1
Place the sliced cucumbers in a large bowl and toss with the kosher salt. Let stand for 10 minutes, then transfer to a clean kitchen towel or several layers of paper towels and pat firmly dry — the cucumbers should feel noticeably less wet.
- 2
In a small bowl, whisk together the white wine vinegar, sugar, olive oil, and black pepper until the sugar is fully dissolved.
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