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–+ servings

Japanese Cucumber Salad

Overhead photo of Asian cucumber salad with red onions in a white bowl.
Craving a taste of Japan? Look no further than this mouthwatering Asian Cucumber Salad recipe! Featuring crisp cucumbers harmoniously tossed with pungent red onion, fresh herbs, and a tangy, sweet, and savory marinade dressing, this dish is a celebration of refreshing flavors. Best of? You'll need just 10 minutes to make it.
Author: Cheyanne Holzworth
Total Time: 10 minutes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Refrigerate (optional): 30 minutes
Servings: 6 servings

Equipment

  • 1 Strainer (for salting and draining the cucumbers)
  • 2 Mixing Bowls (one for the marinade/dressing and one for the salad)

Ingredients

Cucumber Salad

  • 2 whole English Cucumbers – thinly slice into 1/8-inch thick coins OR cut crosswise and thinly sliced lengthwise into ribbons
  • ½ large Red Onion – thinly sliced (about 3/4 Cup)
  • 1 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt or Coarse Sea Salt - plus more to taste

Marinade / Dressing

Optional Additions

Instructions

  • Salt Cucumbers: Place a colander or fine-mesh strainer into a medium-size bowl so that the colander is suspended slightly above the bottom of the bowl (this will allow the cucumbers to drain without sitting in their own liquid).
    Then, add 1/3 of the cucumbers to the colander. Next, season the cucumbers with 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
    Then, layer another 1/3 of the cucumbers over the top of the previously seasoned cucumbers. And season the top cucumbers with another 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
    Repeat the process one more time, adding the remaining 1/3 of cucumbers and salting them with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
    Once all the cucumbers are added and salted, use your hands or a kitchen spoon to gently toss the cucumbers to ensure they all have light contact with the salt.
    Finally, cover the cucumbers and set them in the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes or up to overnight - this process will purge the cucumbers of all excess moisture which helps prevent your salad from becoming watery!
  • Meanwhile, Make the Vinegar Marinade: In a small bowl, combine the rice vinegar, mirin, toasted sesame oil, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and honey Whisk the ingredients well and then set the marinade aside. 
  • Dry Cucumbers: When cucumbers have been drained of excess moisture, remove them from fridge and discard the liquid in the bottom of the bowl.
    Transfer the cucumbers to a clean work surface lined with paper towels, a tea towel or kitchen towel. Add half the cucumbers and pat dry. Transfer the dry cucumbers to a medium size bowl. Then, re-line your work surface with paper towels and pat dry the other half of the cucumbers.
    (Note: I like to dry the cucumbers in two batches to ensure they get as dry as possible. You need the cucumber slices to be very dry so they'll soak up the flavorful marinade.)
  • Toss Cucumber Salad: To the bowl with the salted and dried cucumbers, add the red onions, scallions, fresh cilantro, and 3/4 of the vinegar marinade. Then use kitchen spoons to toss the ingredients together until the cucumbers are fully coated in the sauce.
  • For Best Results - Chill: Cover and transfer the sunomono salad into the refrigerator and allow the flavors to develop, for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours, stirring the cucumbers occasionally.
  • Taste, Garnish, Serve: When ready to serve, taste the Asian cucumber salad and adjust the flavors as desired - adding more marinade, salt and pepper, or individual ingredients as you see fit.
    Garnish the top of the salad with sesame seeds and roasted and crushed peanuts, if using.  Enjoy!

Notes

  1. Purchasing cucumbers: Make sure you use seedless (or semi-seedless) cucumbers in this recipe.  I used English cucumbers because that is what was freshest and readily available at my market.  However, if you can get your hands on seedless, Japanese cucumbers, that would be my first choice!  As well, Persian cucumbers will work here too.  If you use English cucumbers like I did here, there is no need to scoop out or remove the seeds.
  2. Slicing cucumbers: Slice the cucumbers as thin as possible!  If you have a mandoline, I recommend using it. If not, no worries - just slice them by hand and take a little extra care to slice them as thin as you can get them.
  3. Salt: Make sure you salt the sliced cucumbers to draw out as much excess liquid as possible!!  The sweet, tangy dressing is a major component of this easy Asian cucumber salad.  If you don't take the extra (hands off) time to salt the cucumbers and allow them to drain, you will be watering down the dressing, which is a crying shame!!  It's ridiculously easy to apply a little salt to the cucumbers, toss them and place them in a fine-mesh sieve to drain, so do NOT skip this step!
  4. Need to Scale the Recipe? Hover your mouse over the number of servings in the recipe card. You'll see a sliding scale pop up, you can use that to scale the recipe up or down as needed.
  5. Got questions? I've got answers! If you ever run into an issue, have a question, or need any clarification - please feel free to drop them in the comments section. I'm happy to help when I can! 
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and the nutrition facts are an estimate based upon 6 servings. Exact information will depend upon the brands of ingredients and precise measurements used.

Nutrition

Calories: 56kcal    Carbohydrates: 8g    Fat: 2g    Sodium: 445mg    Potassium: 171mg    Sugar: 4g    Vitamin A: 155IU    Vitamin C: 4.4mg    Calcium: 21mg    Iron: 0.3mg
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Asian, Japanese