With Chili Crisp. Ready in 10 minutes. Flavour. Bomb.
This is my go-to Spicy Cucumber Salad recipe and when I say it’s easy what I mean is that it is easy. Crazy easy. The make it whenever you get the itch to have something incredibly tasty but feel like putting in very little effort kind of easy. Umami packed and bright and fresh. Salty, a little sweet, crunchy, juicy, spicy… it’s everything. I make it all the time and I inhale it every time.
When you need something light and fresh and healthy but you actually want something salty, spicy and crunchy this salad is your answer. This is tastes like it’s bad for you but in fact is good for you food. It’s eat the entire dish all to yourself without the slightest tinge of guilt food. It’s possibly the perfect food.
This might be one of my favourite summer salads because anything I can do to use up all those garden cucumbers is very welcome around here. But this salad is also absolutely perfect year round. It’s an amazing side dish with pretty much any asian meal, but it’s also just plain delicious all on its own. Any old time.
my fave spicy cucumber salad, how to make it…
The hardest thing about this salad is choosing how you want to cut your cucumbers. I like a mixture of shapes to maximize textures and because I just think it’s more fun. In the photo you see long thin cucumber ribbons I cut with a mandolin or a vegetable peeler. I also pulled out my wavy potato cutter (you can find the one I use here) and made cucumber ruffle chips which are just too cute. You can just slice them straight up or on a diagonal, or cut them into sticks, or julienne them. Whatever floats your boat.
Once the cukes are all cut up you’ll mix up the dressing in a separate bowl by whisking together some Tamari, rice vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, sesame oil and sriracha. Once it’s well blended add in all your cucumbers and toss well.
Transfer the salad to a serving bowl and top with chili crisp (find it here) and toasted sesame seeds. Eat!
spicy cucumber salad Recipe ingredients, tips, substitutions:
Cucumber – I generally use baby cucumbers or long English cucumbers. Any cucumbers will work, but if you use field cucumbers you might want to peel them and remove the large seeds.
Tamari – soy sauce works equally well.
Brown Sugar – I use dark brown sugar because of its rich flavour, but light brown sugar works too.
Chili Crisp – you can find this in asian stores, online, or in most grocery stores these days.
Vinegar – switch up the vinegar according to what you have. Apple cider vinegar works well as does white wine vinegar.
Spicy Cucumber Salad Recipe Variations:
- Make it extra spicy by increasing the sriracha or adding a pinch of red pepper flakes
- Make this a Korean cucumber salad by adding in a scoop of Gochujang and some Korean red pepper flakes (Gochugaru)
- Make this a Japanese cucumber salad by adding in a little miso and some chopped up nori
- Make this a creamy salad by adding in a scoop of mayo or tahini
interested in serving ideas for this salad? try these…
Recipe-ish…
Spicy Cucumber Salad with Chili Crisp
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber or 5-6 baby cucumbers
- 3 tbsp Tamari or soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp sriracha
For serving:
- Sesame seeds
- Chili crisp
Instructions
- Thinly slice the cucumbers and set them aside. I like to do a combination of long ribbons and ruffle cut “chips” but whatever shape you like is fine.
- In a large bowl mix together the Tamari, rice vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, sesame oil and sriracha.
- Add in the cucumbers and toss well.
- Move the cucumbers to a serving dish and top with sesame seeds and a big drizzle of chili crisp.
Let me know what you think below and if you like this Spicy Cucumber Salad Recipe I know you’ll also love my Zucchini Ribbon Salad Recipe. Also super fresh and delicious.
