Easy Asian Creamy Cucumber Salad

Cool, creamy, crunchy, this one has it all. This cucumber salad recipe uses Kewpie mayo as the creamy base. It’s a refreshing dish that takes about 25 minutes to make, most of which is just waiting because we are salting the cucumbers.

What You Will Need

• Cucumbers — I like using English, Persian, or those tiny cocktail cucumbers. They have thin, tender skin and hardly any seeds, so no peeling needed. If you’re using regular American cucumbers (the kind with thick skin and big seeds), go ahead and peel them. Otherwise, the skin can taste a little bitter.
• Salt — I use fine sea salt. It pulls out excess moisture and seasons the cucumbers at the same time.
• Kewpie mayo — A rich Japanese mayo that serves as the creamy base. Regular mayo works too, but Kewpie is super delicious.
• Rice vinegar — Adds a light tang to balance the creamy Kewpie mayo.
• Green onions — Add a fresh, mild onion flavor and a pop of color to brighten up the salad. Don’t like green onions? Feel free to leave them out.
• Sesame oil — Adds a deep, toasty flavor and smells amazing.
• Roasted sesame seeds — For crunch, a bit of texture and protein in every bite. You can use either white or black sesame seeds or a combination of both.

How to Make It

Step 1: Prep the Cucumbers Slice cucumbers into thin discs.

I use a mandolin slicer on the #3 setting for even slices but you can also use a knife. If you’re using American cucumbers, peel the skin (they can be bitter) and scoop out the seeds if they are too big then slice the cucumbers.

Step 2: Salt the Cucumbers Add salt and toss well to coat. Let them sit for about 20 minutes to draw out excess water.

Pour out the liquid that collects at the bottom of the bowl. Then, gently squeeze the cucumbers by the handful to remove any remaining moisture.

Do not rinse. Step 3: Make the Dressing

Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl with the cucumbers. Toss everything together until well coated. Taste and adjust as needed.

Serve and enjoy.

FAQs

Why do we salt the cucumbers? Salting the cucumbers is optional, but highly recommended.

It really improves the texture with extra crunch. It also helps prevent a watery salad, especially if you’re making it ahead of time.

Without salting, cucumbers release a lot of liquid as they sit. If you prefer the natural crunch and plan to eat the salad right away, you can skip salting. Just adjust the seasoning by using about 3 teaspoons of light soy sauce (or a tiny bit of salt to taste) instead.

Level it Up

If this is too boring for you, try adding the following for a more spectacular salad:

• Poke — small cubes of sushi grade raw salmon (sashimi). You can add about 1 cup or 1/2 lb of poke to turn this into a bigger meal. Lightly dress the poke with light soy sauce and toss them in.
• Tobiko & Masago — Both are fish roe. Tobiko is flying fish roe and masago is smelt roe. You can often find these in the refrigerator or freezer section of most Asian grocery stores. It provides a nice salty, fishy, crunchy pop.