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Cucumber Pickle Salad with Smashed Cucumber and Chili Crisp, refrigerator pickle cucumber salad dinner side dish
Brittany Stage

Cucumber Pickle Salad with Smashed Cucumber and Chili Crisp

Cucumbers smashed with the flat of a knife absorb a soy and rice vinegar brine in just one hour, and a tablespoon of chili crisp stirs in satisfying heat and crunch from the fried garlic and shallots already in the jar. This refrigerator pickle salad is bold, fast, and ready to serve alongside a simple rice dinner or grilled protein.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Asian-inspired
Calories: 70
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 lb Persian cucumbers about 6 cucumbers, or 1 large English cucumber
  • 3/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar unseasoned
  • 1 tbsp chili crisp store-bought, such as Fly By Jing or Lao Gan Ma
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tsp granulated sugar
  • 2 garlic cloves finely grated or minced
  • 3 scallions sliced thin, for serving
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds for garnish, optional

Equipment

  • cutting board
  • broad flat knife or small skillet for smashing
  • large mixing bowl
  • airtight container or glass jar
  • whisk

Method
 

  1. Place one cucumber on your cutting board. Press down firmly on it with the flat side of a broad knife, using the heel of your hand to apply steady pressure until the cucumber cracks and flattens slightly. You will hear it split. Repeat with each cucumber. The goal is cracked and slightly squashed, not completely crushed into a paste.
  2. Cut the smashed cucumbers into rough chunks, about 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide. Do not try to make these neat or uniform. The jagged, irregular pieces are what grab the brine and hold it. Place all the pieces in a large bowl.
  3. Sprinkle the kosher salt over the cucumber pieces and toss to coat. Let them sit for five minutes at room temperature while you mix the brine. Some water will collect in the bottom of the bowl. That is fine and expected.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili crisp, sesame oil, sugar, and grated garlic. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and the chili crisp is evenly incorporated into the brine.
  5. Pour off any liquid that has pooled in the cucumber bowl. Do not rinse the cucumbers. Pour the brine over the cucumber pieces and toss everything well so each piece is coated. The brine will look slightly oily and red from the chili crisp. That is correct.
  6. Transfer to an airtight container, pressing the cucumber pieces down so they are mostly submerged in the brine. Seal and refrigerate for at least one hour. After one hour, the cucumbers will taste lightly pickled and the chili crisp flavor will have soaked in.
  7. To serve, spoon the cucumbers onto a plate or into a small bowl. Scatter the sliced scallions over the top and add a pinch of sesame seeds if using. Serve cold. Stir the container before each serving since the chili crisp tends to settle.

Notes

Different brands of chili crisp vary quite a bit in heat level. Start with 1 tablespoon and taste after the one-hour brine. Add another half tablespoon if you want more heat. The crunchy bits of fried garlic and shallot in the jar are part of what makes this salad interesting, so make sure to scoop from the bottom of the chili crisp jar to get those pieces.