Cucumber and Red Onion Salad

Because we have a number of commercial greenhouses here on the island, English cucumbers are surprisingly inexpensive year-round.  They were on sale for a particularly good price last week ($0.77 each) so I brought one home.  My shopping basket that day also contained some lemons and a large bunch of dill which, although imported, was quite inexpensive too. 

I had a red onion in my onion bin so I decided to combine it with my supermarket bounty to make a salad.  I remembered a Mennonite bean salad with a sour cream dressing and based my dressing for this new salad upon that recipe, substituting yogurt for the sour cream.

The resulting salad was quite flavourful and when I ate the leftovers the following day, I found that the taste had actually improved because the flavours in the dressing had had an opportunity to marry.

To make Cucumber and Red Onion Salad, you’ll need:

• 1/2 of a large English (seedless) cucumber, thinly sliced, about 2 cups
• 1 cup of thinly sliced red onion 
• A generous sprinkling of salt
• 3/4 cup of plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1-1/2 to 2 Tablespoons finely chopped dill
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Put the cucumber slices and onion together in a bowl and sprinkle them generously with salt.  Don’t be shy about this.  The salt will draw out the excess moisture and make the onion more mild tasting.  Much of the salt will be drained away.  The rest will season the salad.  Toss the vegetables to distribute the salt throughout.

Allow the vegetables to rest for at least 15 minutes.  While they are resting, mix together the yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, dill, and sugar to make the dressing. 

Once the vegetables have rested, use your hands to squeeze out the excess moisture.  Don’t rinse them.  You want some of the salt to remain.

Wash out the vegetable bowl, then return the vegetables to it.  Add in the dressing a little at a time, mixing it through the vegetables, until they are well coated. 

Taste the salad and adjust the seasonings if necessary. 

Serve this salad very cold.  It would make an excellent accompaniment to fish.
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This post is linked to Hearth & Soul Blog Hop hosted by Elsa Cooks, Savoring Today, Penniless Parenting, Zesty South Indian Kitchen, The 21st Century Housewife, and Premeditated Leftovers.