From the roundup: 22 Refrigerator Pickle Cucumber Salad Recipes to Serve as a Dinner Side Dish
This cucumber pickle salad with walnuts and blue cheese is one of those sides I throw together before I start the grill. The actual hands-on work is maybe 15 minutes: slicing cucumbers, dissolving a quick brine on the stove, and toasting walnuts in a dry pan. After that, the refrigerator does everything else for at least an hour.
The salting step before the brine matters more than it sounds. Skipping it once left me with a watered-down brine that never really clung to the cucumbers. Ten minutes in a colander with kosher salt, a quick rinse, and a pat dry keeps the brine tasting sharp and tangy instead of thin.
It pairs well with anything rich off the grill: steak, burgers, roast chicken. The blue cheese and red wine vinegar cut right through the fat in a way a green salad often does not. My husband, who normally ignores salads, asked for seconds the first time I put this on the table.
Why you will love this
- Real texture in every bite: the walnuts stay crunchy even after the cucumbers have been sitting in brine for an hour
- Only 3 minutes of actual cooking, just warming the brine and toasting the walnuts
- The tangy vinegar brine holds up well against heavy mains like steak or a burger, where a creamy dressing would get lost
- You can have everything ready and in the fridge before guests arrive, then just scatter the cheese and walnuts at serving time
- Leftovers keep for a few days and the cucumbers soften into something almost like a proper pickle, which my kids actually prefer
Tips for success
- Salt the cucumber slices first, every time. That 10-minute rest in the colander pulls out enough water to keep your brine from tasting diluted after an hour in the fridge.
- The brine does not need to boil. Medium heat for about 2 minutes until the sugar dissolves is enough. Boiling it hard can make the vinegar sharper than you want.
- Watch the walnuts the whole time they are in the pan. They go from golden to bitter in under a minute, and there is no fixing burnt walnuts. Pull them the moment you smell them.
- Add the blue cheese and walnuts right before serving, not when you first pour the brine. The cheese will break down and the walnuts will soften if they sit in liquid for an hour.
If the salad turns out watery
- The most common cause is skipping the salting step. Even a 5-minute rest with kosher salt helps, but 10 minutes is better.
- If the salad has been in the fridge overnight, pour off some of the accumulated brine before adding the cheese and walnuts. A slotted spoon works fine for serving.
- English cucumbers release less water than standard cucumbers because they have fewer seeds. If you use regular cucumbers, scoop the seeds out before slicing.
- Do not add the chives until serving. They wilt quickly and add extra moisture if they sit in the brine too long.
Substitutions
If blue cheese is too sharp for your crowd, crumbled feta is the closest swap in terms of texture and saltiness. Goat cheese works too but it is creamier and will break up more when you toss the salad. For the walnuts, pecans or slivered almonds toast up just as well in the same amount of time. White wine vinegar can replace red wine vinegar if that is what you have on hand, though the color of the brine will be lighter.
English cucumbers are the first choice here because the skin is thin and the seed cavity is small. Persian cucumbers are a good second option. Standard garden cucumbers work if you peel them and scrape out the seeds before slicing, otherwise they add a lot of extra water to the brine.
Make-ahead and storage
You can slice the cucumbers and mix the brine up to a day ahead, keeping them separate in the fridge. Combine them about an hour before you plan to serve. The walnuts can be toasted a few hours ahead and stored at room temperature once they cool completely. Do not add the blue cheese or chives until right before the salad goes to the table.
Leftover salad keeps in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The cucumbers will soften and take on more of the brine flavor over time. When you serve leftovers, drain some of the liquid and add a fresh handful of walnuts to bring back some crunch. This salad does not freeze well.
Cucumber Pickle Salad with Walnuts and Blue Cheese Crumbles
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Slice the cucumbers into thin rounds, about 1/8 inch thick. Place them in a colander set over a bowl, toss with the kosher salt, and let them sit for 10 minutes. This draws out extra moisture so the brine does not get watered down. Rinse them quickly under cold water and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the red wine vinegar, water, sugar, black pepper, and garlic powder. Stir for about 2 minutes until the sugar dissolves completely. You do not need it to boil, just warm enough to dissolve everything. Remove from heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.
- Place the dried cucumber slices in a large mixing bowl or a quart-size jar. Pour the warm brine over the cucumbers and stir or shake gently to coat. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight for a deeper tang.
- While the cucumbers chill, toast the walnuts. Add the chopped walnuts to a dry skillet over medium heat and stir constantly for 2 to 3 minutes until they smell nutty and turn golden. Watch them closely because they go from toasted to burnt fast. Spread them on a plate to cool completely.
- When you are ready to serve, drain a bit of the brine if the cucumbers are sitting in a lot of liquid. Transfer the cucumbers to a serving bowl, scatter the toasted walnuts and blue cheese crumbles over the top, and add the fresh chives if using. Toss gently once or twice so the cheese does not break up too much. Taste and adjust with a pinch more salt or pepper if needed, then serve cold.
Notes
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