Pickled Cucumber Salad

This light and crispy side dish is perfect for so many things. In Sweden, no meal would be complete without a Pickled Cucumber Salad, or “Pressgurka.” Literally meaning “pressed cucumbers,” this sweet-and-sour snack makes a great topping for seed crackers, sandwiches, seafood, and meat dishes. Do your best to slice the cucumbers as thin as possible. You can even give them an extra squeeze after draining the water, but be careful not to tear them. This process will help remove extra water and keep your cukes as crisp as can be as they marinate. Want a little more flavor? Let them sit longer! One hour is the absolute minimum, but if you can wait, try leaving them in the fridge for 3 hours to fully develop the flavors. You can also play around with the herbs and spices a bit, swapping out the dill for parsley and mixing in some apple cider vinegar if you like. Experiment and let your taste buds guide you!

Makes:

Serves 6-8

Hands-on time:

20 minutes

Start-to-eat time:

2 hours

Ingredients

4-6 Persian cucumbers (about 1 pound)
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
¼ cup white vinegar
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)

Kids kitchen skills:

slicing
draining
pickling

Tools:

knife & cutting board
cheese slicer (optional)
5-6 large heavy plates
colander
paper towels or clean kitchen towel
measuring cups & spoons
small bowl & whisk

Step-by-step

Grown-up steps

Slice the cucumbers very thin, using a cheese slicer or wide veggie peeler if you have one.
Place a layer of cucumber slices on a large plate bowl, and sprinkle with a little of the salt. Add another layer of cucumber slices on top and sprinkle more salt, repeating until all the slices have been used.
Place another plate of the same size on top of the cucumber slices and press down. Add more plates or cans for extra weight and let the slices sit for about 30 minutes to drain out water.
Meanwhile whisk the vinegar, sugar, pepper, dill and caraway seeds in a small bowl.
Remove the weights from the cucumbers and place the slices in a colander, leaving behind the water that pooled on the plate. Gently press the cucumbers with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels to remove as much extra water as you can without tearing them.
Add the cucumbers to the bowl with the vinegar mixture, cover, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Taste, and add more salt, if you like. Then serve up your crispy, quick-pickled side dish!