Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad Recipe - Choosing Chia (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep cucumbers crisp in cucumber salad? ›

Salt the slices first. No matter the salad recipe you're making, salt the cut-up cucumber beforehand. The extra step allows them to release some of their water — keeping them extra crisp even when they get tossed with the dressing.

When it comes to making the best cucumber salads, I find that unless you take the time to properly salt and drain the cukes, the end product is watery, limp, and less than tasty. This easy extra step makes extra crunchy slices, takes almost no effort at all, but gives a big payout in the crunch department.

No matter how you dress them, salting and draining sliced cucumbers maximizes crunchy texture. The challenge: More often than not, by the time you eat a cucumber salad the cucumbers have gone soft and watery, losing their appealing crunch and diluting the dressing to near tastelessness.

The secret to making sure the cucumber stays nice and crunchy is to draw out the excess water. Some people like only to use salt, but I find using half salt and half sugar help flavor the cucumber while ensuring that the cucumber stays nice and crunchy! Add 1 Tbsp of sugar and 1 tsp of salt to the cut-up cucumber.

Ensure that the cucumbers are stored away from ethylene-producing fruits like tomatoes, apples, and bananas. Ethylene can cause cucumbers to ripen and spoil more quickly. Avoid placing cucumbers near foods with strong odors as they absorb odors easily.

A cucumber's bitterness is caused by cucurbitacin, a bitter chemical that protects the plant from predators. Usually, cucurbitacin stays in the stem and leaves, but it can work its way into the fruit. A cucumber's bitterness is caused by cucurbitacin, a bitter chemical that protects the plant from predators.

Cucumber skin often contains more of the bitter compound than the flesh. Removing the skin helps to remove much of the bitter flavor as well.

Cucumber flavor partners

Season cucumbers with salt, pepper, onion, garlic, dill, basil, mint, or tarragon.

Then very thinly slice and transfer the slices to a colander sitting in the sink. Sprinkle with salt, tossing the cucumber slices to coat (this will draw out the moisture). Allow to sit for 20 minutes. Rinse the cucumbers well under cold water, making sure to remove all of the excess salt.

Answer: The bitterness in cucumbers is produced by the compound cucurbitacin. Cucurbitacins are normally found in the leaves, stems, and roots of cucumber plants. The cucurbitacins spread from the vegetative parts of the plant into the cucumber fruit when plants are under stress.

How do you keep cucumbers crisp? ›

In an airtight container, they become quickly exposed to condensation, triggering an earlier than necessary demise. Therefore, cucumbers will last longer if you store them, dried and wrapped, in a mesh produce bag or something that allows for a bit of airflow.

My favorite tip for keeping cucumber sandwiches from getting soggy is an easy one! Just salt your cucumbers!

We also recommend keeping ethylene-producing fruits and veg separate from your cukes—find a full breakdown here. Once you've washed and wrapped them, the best way to store cucumbers is in the crisper drawer (a.k.a. produce drawer) of your fridge, set on high humidity with the fan closed.

About this method: To keep cucumbers extra crunchy, Epicurious touts this method: Wash them, thoroughly dry them, wrap them in a dish towel or paper towel, place them in an unsealed plastic bag to allow some airflow, and place them in the crisper drawer.