This is my (current) favourite Cucumber Salad. With a can’t-miss combination of fresh Mediterranean flavours – garlicky lemon dressing, fresh dill and mint, salty crumbled feta – it’s good enough for company and quick enough for dinner tonight. Plus swap out options – I don’t always have fresh herbs!
Mediterranean Cucumber Salad
Cucumber might be my favourite vegetable. (By “vegetable”, I mean the fresh, virtuous non-starchy kind. Potatoes are in a separate category – my family doesn’t call me Potato Girl for nothing.)
I think I’ve done more iterations of cucumber salads than any other vegetable – from tangy creamy ones to spicy Asian ones, smashed, pickled, herby, and everything in between. And here I am today with another one. I just love them!
This one is full of bright Mediterranean flavours. I adore the combination of mint and dill, they make cucumbers taste even more refreshing, especially with a fresh lemon dressing. Add a crumble of feta, and watch how quickly this salad disappears!
Ingredients in Cucumber Salad
There’s not much that goes in this. But I’m sharing my swap-out options too, because I don’t always have fresh herbs, or a lemon. Though obviously if you change everything, you’ll end up with a completely different salad!
1. For the salad
Cucumbers – I prefer using Lebanese cucumbers in this salad because it’s juicier and the skin is soft enough to eat without peeling. If you use the long ones (telegraph / continental / English cucumbers), the skin can be a little tough so you might want to do zebra stripe peels or completely peel.
Greek feta – The recipe only calls for a little bit, just 50g (about 1/4 cup crumbled). It’s not much but makes a difference! I can’t think of a substitute. Instead, add an extra 1/4 teaspoon of salt into the dressing (essential, as it’s light on dressing because there’s salt in the feta) and if you want, give the salad another point of interest, like lemon zest (add this into the dressing) or chopped olives.
Fresh dill and mint – This combination is just everything to bring bright freshness to salads! Dill is a natural friend of cucumber while mint makes the whole salad taste extra fresh. If you don’t have fresh herbs, add dried herbs into the dressing instead – dill, mint or oregano. All these have Mediterranean vibes!
Red onion – Just one quarter, finely sliced, to bring a little sharpness and crunch without taking over. Substitute with finely sliced green onion.
2. lemon garlic dressing
Lemon, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper is all you need – in the right proportions!
Lemon juice – You can’t beat fresh lemon juice in a lemon dressing, though if you don’t have any, I’d rather use a vinegar than bottled lemon juice. Red or white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar are my go-to choices for dressings, and all will work beautifully here.
Extra virgin olive oil – The better your oil, the better your dressing! So pull out your good stuff here. 🙂
Garlic – Just one small garlic clove, crushed using a garlic crush or finely grated. Don’t go too wild with the garlic else it will dominate and be too harsh.
Salt and pepper – To season the salad. I only use 1/4 heaped teaspoon of salt, not much for the mound of cucumbers. But you get plenty of salt from the feta.
How to make Mediterranean Cucumber Salad
The jar-shaking method is my favourite way to make dressings because it’s quick and mixes everything together really well so the oil and vinegar don’t separate. Plus, the jar doubles as storage when you make extra.
Dressing – Shake the dressing ingredients in a jar until they are well combined and a creamy yellow colour. (Or whisk in a small bowl). Set aside – Put the dressing aside while you chop all the ingredients. This will give the garlic a chance to meld into the dressing (it only needs a few minutes).
Salad – Put all the salad ingredients in a bowl except a bit of feta, save it for sprinkling on at the end. Then pour the dressing over.
Toss, toss, toss!
Garnish and serve – Pour the cucumber salad into a serving bowl then sprinkle with remaining feta. Ready to serve!
Hand on heart, I had a big bowl of this for lunch yesterday, standing at the kitchen bench as I mentally added up the list of meaty and chocolatey and cheesy and noodly things I’d been making that morning and were to come that afternoon.
This thing I do that I call a job – being surrounded by outrageously good food all day – means I need to find absurdly delicious ways to eat wholesome food, just to balance it all out! But if you’re a normal person making this as a side dish, try it alongside a simple seasoned chicken breast (that’s my go-to recipe) a pan seared fish fillet or Lemon Garlic Pork Chops.
THINGS TO SERVE WITH THIS CUCUMBER SALAD
I can also see it stuffed inside a a wrap with Greek Chicken Gyros (or this one from Kalimera Souvlaki Art) or Greek Lamb Koftas. Otherwise, for a mega spread, make big kebab plates with shavings of Chicken or Lamb Doner Kebab meat , homemade Charcoal Chicken Shop Skewers and a steaming pile of Garlic Butter Rice or Lebanese Lentil Rice (Mejadra). How good does that sound!!! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Mediterranean Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 500g / 1 lb Lebanese cucumbers , ~3 medium, sliced in 3-4mm / 1/8″ thick (US: Persian cucumbers, mini cucumbers in the UK) – Note 1
- 1/4 red onion , finely sliced
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh dill (Note 2 if you don’t have)
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh mint (Note 2 if you don’t have)
- 1/3 cup (50g) crumbled Greek feta (Note 3)
Lemon Garlic Dressing:
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (substitute white or red wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar)
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small garlic clove , crushed using garlic press or finely grated using microplane
- 1/4 heaped tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Dressing – Shake the ingredients in a jar until well combined (or whisk in a bowl). Set aside to let the flavours meld while you chop.
- Toss – Put the cucumbers, herbs, onion and most of the feta in a bowl (reserve a bit for topping). Add dressing and toss.
- Serve – Pour into a serving bowl. Top with remaining feta and serve straight away, though it keeps well for an hour, and I still enjoy it the next day (it becomes semi-pickled).
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Jaffle
I got this fencing to contain Jaffle. Now I use it to keep him out! The lengths I have to go to give the lawn a chance to heal after Jaffle excavation episodes…..
But, I’m out of fencing. What next? Laundry baskets, I’m thinking. The lawn is going to look ridiculous. 😂
Nagi, 🤣🤣 I can’t believe how big he is getting. I forgot those digging days with puppies.
Loving the new vege dishes coming as lite dinner now that spring is on the way. ❤️
He is growing at an alarming rate Debbie!! 😂 And yes, I’m loving these lighter veggie dishes too – perfect timing with spring around the corner! – N x
Ever green grass (aka artificial grass) Nagi – puppy proof for digging & dead patches from toilet training and no mowing. Win win win 😂
And the salad looks amazing😋
Ha! Artificial grass is looking more appealing with every new hole he digs 😂 No mowing is a pretty convincing bonus too! – N x
Yes! Please! Now 🙂 ! Having been born in Estonia means I would be traitorous to the beautiful land of my birth if I felt any other way! OK – feta does not necessarily make an entry and dill is a ‘yes’ and mint tends to be ‘what is that’ 🙂 ! Nagi – thank you for a beautiful variation which I could easily have for breakfast or lunch and have oft had in many variations inside a wrap! A few new ideas from you! Thanks! And – Nagi, are you quite certain one of Jaffle’s forebears was not a horse- huh? I sure don’t remember his older brother being THAT big at this age! Gorgeous naughty lovable bad boy !!!
Ha ha! I’m starting to suspect there IS a horse somewhere in Jaffle’s family tree 😂 He’s enormous! And I can absolutely see this salad tucked into a wrap – right up your alley Eha! – N x
Oh the puppy era! I was going to say years, but it only feels like years. My crazy pup is more chill than me now!
This salad is going into full rotation this week. I need a late summer cleanse in anticipation of denser carbs. Looks yum!
“It only feels like years” 😂 That gives me hope Patricia! And yes – get the cucumber salad in before dense carb season officially begins!! – N x
Nagi, for Jaffle, get him a kids sand pit and throw in some treats. Worked a charm on my Border Collie who is now ten months old and hasn’t dug another hole since. A soccer ball is helpful too.
Love some of the French recipes coming through too.
I have to look into a sandpit!! I keep hearing this now – but I’ve never heard of it before!! Thank you for the tip Heather – N x