Cucumber and Onion Salad
Published June 5, 2026
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
- Ready In
- 1 hr 45 min
- (45 min, plus 1 hr chilling)
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
4 English cucumbers, sliced into ⅛-inch-thick rounds (about 10 cups)
2 tablespoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
1½ cups white vinegar
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
1 small white onion, thinly sliced (about 1½ cups)
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
19 grams carbs; 87 calories; 2 grams fiber; 697 milligrams sodium; 2 grams protein; 13 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Toss cucumbers and salt together in a large bowl. Transfer cucumbers to a strainer, then place the strainer in the sink. Let cucumbers sit for 30 minutes as they release their water, stirring occasionally to help them drain.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, whisk the vinegar, sugar and pepper in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves.
- Step 3
Add the drained cucumbers and sliced onion to the bowl of vinegar marinade. Use your hands or tongs to toss well—really get in there and make sure the marinade is distributed. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving, stirring once halfway through to ensure everything gets evenly marinated.
Private Notes
Comments
I make a slight variation of this all the time, and it is a huge hit. First, don't drain the cukes! Their liquid has a lot of flavor and will take away some of the vinegar's bite. Also, skip the sugar and use seasoned rice wine vinegar. Finally, be sure to use a sweet onion like Vidalia so the onion does not overpower the other flavors. Let it sit for a few hours, at least, then remove the cukes from the liquid with a slotted spoon before you serve. You can also add shot of flavored oil.
I add sour cream and red onion instead of yellow or white. It’s the way my grandmother made it.
I was intrigued by the recipe's simplicity: I made it for late Sunday brunch, and it was a complete flop - the general consenses it lacked complexity and tasted like pickled fiber. To be completely forthcoming, I served it with olive oil-poached salmon with the Buster Tomato Dressing by Yewande Komolafe (also on this site), so the main course was forward-seasonal.
Trust the process. I followed the directions to a T, and it was not salty at all. And the sugar easily dissolved without any heat. My mom made this in the summer, and it's the epitome of summer for me. This will be my version from now on.
I made this as written and since I live alone, have been eating it all week. I think I added more pepper as I didn’t measure the pepper. It had a lot of kick to it. I had also never successfully salted and sweated cucumbers or eggplant without it tasting really salty. But a friend said to salt them and drain them in a sieve for at least an hour and keep shaking the sieve and flipping the cucumbers around in the sieve so they will drain. Then I laid them out flat in single file on 2 cooling racks to drain some more. They didn’t drain any more after that first hour. Then I took a paper towel and dabbed each one to get any excess salt off. It sounds laborious, but it wasn’t. Anyway, boy were they good all week. Stayed crunchy. The last day there was about 2 cups left. I drained all of the vinegar/sugar marinade, chopped them up, added diced chicken breast from a rotisserie chicken and a little mayonnaise. Wow. So good! This one’s a keeper!
I would suggest an update to the Time to include the hour in the refrigerator before serving.