Skip to main content

Smashed Cucumber Salad

5.0

(2)

Smashed Cucumber Salad recipe
Photograph by Frank Frances, food styling by Lillian Chou, prop styling by Sophia Pappas

Growing up, Justin Lee, owner and chef of Fat Choy, enjoyed smashing cucumbers for this salad in a bag. “It was like a Chinese American kid’s version of Shake ‘n Bake,” he says. This is a refreshing saucy dish that’ll cool you down all through summer. At the restaurant, they make their own chili oil, but you can keep it simple and grab your favorite brand from the store.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 Servings

Ingredients

6 medium Persian cucumbers (about 1 lb.)
1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt
1 garlic clove, finely grated
¼ cup tahini
3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. white miso
1 tsp. finely grated ginger
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
Chili oil (for serving)
2 scallions, thinly sliced on a diagonal
1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Cut cucumbers in half lengthwise, then slice ¼" thick on a deep diagonal into 2"–3"-long pieces. Transfer cucumbers to a large bowl, add salt, and toss to combine. Cover and chill at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours. Drain cucumbers.

    Step 2

    Whisk garlic, tahini, lime juice, soy sauce, vinegar, miso, ginger, sugar, and sesame oil in a small bowl to combine. Pour dressing over cucumbers and toss well to coat.

    Step 3

    Transfer cucumber salad to a platter. Drizzle with chili oil and top with scallions and sesame seeds.

Read More
Store-bought dumplings, fresh tomatoes, butter, and soy sauce simmer away for dinner in a flash.
This dinner salad combines decadent burrata cheese with a spicy tahini dressing that clings to every crinkly leaf of Napa cabbage.
With crunchy cabbage, sweet mango, and ripe avocado, this salad will keep you full.
Savory cashew chicken meets tender asparagus in this lightning-fast dinner.
Matcha tints this refreshing noodle dish a delightful green hue—and imparts its characteristic grassy flavor.
Juicy peak-season tomatoes make the perfect plant-based swap for aguachile.
With homemade quick pickles, this will be your new signature side dish.
We reimagined pork dumplings as a filling for juicy stuffed tomatoes.