Korean Cucumber Salad

Korean cucumber salad, a type of pickled cucumber, is so refreshing. Serve this as part of a spread of banchan (Korean small plate dishes) or on its own to compliment a protein and rice.

You might also love this Israeli style cucumber tomato salad.

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Why you'll love this recipe

These Korean pickled cucumbers are such an easy and refreshing side dish. No actual cooking involved. Just some chopping and mixing and you're ready to go.

Quick pickled cucumbers are so great because you have something delicious to eat almost immediately but they only get better if you let them sit. So make this dish at the last minute or plan ahead. Whatever works for your schedule.

I based this recipe on my husband's Hawaiian family recipes. They call this salad cucumber namul. Namul means seasoned marinated vegetables and are often part of a larger spread of banchan (pronounced Panchan) that are served before and alongside a Korean meal.

Ingredients and substitutions

My husband's family recipes tend to be on the milder side, spice-wise but the beauty of this cucumber salad is that you can absolutely adjust the ingredients to match your palate.

• Cucumbers: My three favorite cucumbers for this are Japanese, Korean, or Persian cucumbers. But you can also use a Kirby (pickling cucumber), an English cucumber or a standard garden cucumber. For the latter, you might want to peel it as the skin tends to be thicker and scoop out the seeds.
• Green onion: Chives could work here too.
• Garlic: Normally, I am not a raw garlic fan but some finely diced garlic is a nice addition here and definitely typical for a Korean dish.
• Rice vinegar: White wine, apple cider, or sherry vinegar are possible substitutes.
• Sesame seeds: Sesame seeds are available at just about any store, but if you are at a Korean market, you should find toasted sesame seeds available. If not, just pop your sesame seeds in a pan and toss around on medium heat until they start taking on some color. Another possibility here would be black sesame seeds.
• Sesame oil: This adds a nutty rich flavor.
• Soy sauce: I use low-sodium soy sauce but regular is fine here too.
• Gochugaru: This is Korean ground red pepper - available coarse ground or fine ground. If you don't have any, use cayenne or even togorashi from your Japanese spice collection.

How to make this recipe

Easy peasy is how I would describe this quick pickled cucumber salad. In a pinch, you can even skip draining the water from the cucumbers to shorten the process even further. But I recommend doing it if you can.

1. Start by prepping the cucumbers - my husband's family cuts the cucumbers in half moons by cutting the cucumbers in half lengthwise first. But you can speed the prep along by just slicing the cucumbers whole. Slice the cucumbers as thin as you want - mine were about ⅛" thick.

2. Place the sliced cucumbers in a strainer and add the salt and sugar to the cucumber, mixing it in with your hands. Let the cucumbers sit for at least 15 minutes.

3. While the cucumbers are resting, finely chop the garlic and green onion.

4. In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, green onion, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame seeds, sesame oil and gochugaru.

5. Squeeze the water out of the cucumbers (no need to rinse).

6. Add the cucumbers to a medium bowl, pour the rice vinegar mixture over the cucumbers and mix well. Your hands are a good tool for this.

7. Taste for flavor - the amounts I specify in the recipe create a mild version of this salad. If you like more punch, feel free to increase the gochugaru, add more sesame oil, punch up the garlic. Whatever tastes good to you!

Expert Tips and Recipe FAQs

1. Use whatever cucumbers you have or can find to make this cucumber salad. If the seeds are large, just cut the cucumber in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop the seeds out.
2. I've made this quick pickled cucumber salad at the last minute and skipped the draining of the water from the cucumbers. Ultimately, if you don't finish the salad right away, you may get some extra water in your bowl which will dilute your flavors. But it is a reasonable step to skip if you are in a hurry.
3. This Korean cucumber salad can take on a more Japanese pickled cucumber feel by eliminating the garlic, using togorashi instead of gochugaru and furikake instead of sesame seeds.

What to serve with Korean cucumber salad

Kalbi Marinade - how to make the Hawaiian version of this classic Korean marinade

Grilled Korean Short Ribs - see all the methods for cooking these marinated ribs!

Mandu (Korean Dumplings)

Portuguese Sausage and Soy Sauce Eggs

Prime Rib Fried Rice

Bulgogi Burgers with Kimchi Sauce

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