Everyday cooking
Cucumber salad with dill and sour cream
Small cucumber cubes are tossed with a light sour cream and dill dressing.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Servings / pieces
- 4
- Topic
- Everyday cooking
Cucumber salad does not have to use thin slices. Small cubes are easy to spoon and distribute the dill dressing evenly. Salt and drain the cucumber briefly here so the sauce does not become watery immediately. A moderate quantity of sour cream supplies only a thin coating. Fresh dill defines the flavour, with coarse stems removed. Serve the salad beside potatoes, fish or an open sandwich. Mix shortly before eating because even drained cucumber releases more moisture as it stands. Taste the completed mixture before adding extra salt, since some remains from the initial draining stage.
Method
Step by step
- 01
Prepare cucumber
Wash the cucumber and peel in stripes if preferred. Halve lengthways. Scoop out a particularly soft, watery seed centre with a teaspoon, but retain firm flesh.
- 02
Drain salted cubes
Cut into roughly 8 mm cubes. Mix with the salt and leave in a sieve over a bowl for 10 minutes. Turn gently once during draining.
- 03
Make dill dressing
Wash and dry dill. Pull tender fronds from thick stems and chop finely. Stir sour cream, vinegar and pepper smooth, adding a small pinch of sugar only if very sharp.
- 04
Drain cucumber
Drain the cucumber well and pat lightly with kitchen paper. Do not crush the cubes firmly or they lose their crisp structure. Keep the drained liquid out of the dressing.
- 05
Mix salad
Fold cucumber and dill through the sauce. Taste and add salt only if needed. Serve immediately or chill briefly, then mix gently once more before portioning.
Times are a guide. Your hob, oven and ingredients affect the result; use the cooking cues as well as the clock.
Why salt first?
Salt draws some cucumber moisture to the surface. Draining it slows the dilution of the sour cream dressing. There is no need to squeeze the cucumber aggressively afterwards. Particularly firm small cucumbers may need a shorter draining time.
Adjust the dressing
Plain yoghurt is a lighter, sharper alternative to sour cream, but a runny variety makes a wetter salad. Choose thick yoghurt. Lemon juice can replace white wine vinegar. Add a particularly strong vinegar by teaspoons initially and judge it after mixing with the cucumber.
Kitchen questions
One more question?
Can I use dried dill?
Yes. Start with 1 tsp in the dressing and let it stand for a few minutes. The flavour differs and is less fresh than dill fronds.
Can I prepare it ahead?
Keep cucumber and dressing separate and combine shortly before eating. Mixed salad becomes wetter over time even after the cucumber has been salted.
