Marinated cucumbers recipe
These Taiwanese-style marinated cucumbers stay crisp with a spiral cut and soak in a savory, lightly sweet soy-sesame marinade with a sharp vinegar tang.
Servings: 7 cucumbers
Equipment
- 1 850 ml (28.7 fluid oz) airtight glass jar or a storage container, I use a wide mouth Weck Jar
Ingredients
- 1 lb Persian cucumbers 7 mini cucumbers
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1.5 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- ½ tsp coarse sea salt
- 1 tsp shiitake mushroom seasoning dashi powder, or bouillon powder
- 2 tbsp filtered water
- 1 to 1.5 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp distilled white vinegar
- 0.8 oz garlic cloves 6 medium (smashed)
- 1 tsp chili oil optional
- ½ to 1 small fresno red chili pepper seeds removed (optional)
Instructions
Spiral-cut the cucumbers
- Rinse and pat the cucumbers dry, then trim the ends. Place one cucumber between two chopsticks you don’t mind scuffing. The chopsticks will stop the knife from cutting all the way through.
- Make thin, straight cuts across the top, about 2 mm apart. Flip the cucumber over so the uncut side faces up. Make thin diagonal cuts at a 45-degree angle along the length of the cucumber. Repeat with the remaining cucumbers.
Pack the jar
- Place the spiral-cut cucumbers in the wide-mouth glass jar or food-storage container.
Add the marinade
- Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, shiitake mushroom seasoning, water, honey, white vinegar, garlic, and your choice of chili, if using. Stir gently, or seal the jar and give it a gentle shake, until the honey and seasoning are dissolved.
Marinate
- Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. Rotate the cucumbers halfway through so all sides marinate evenly.
- The marinade may not look like enough at first. As the cucumbers sit, they will release water and create more liquid.
Serve
- Remove the cucumbers from the jar and cut them into sections with kitchen shears. Spoon some of the marinade over the cucumbers before serving.
Notes
- No pre-salting needed: The spiral cut and long marinating time help the cucumbers absorb the seasoning. Skipping a separate salt rest also makes this recipe faster and easier to assemble.
- Why white vinegar: Distilled white vinegar has a brighter, sharper tang than rice vinegar. It balances the savory soy sauce, nutty sesame oil, and honey.
- Cucumber substitutes: Kirby cucumbers also work well. English cucumbers are more watery and will not be quite as crisp. Taiwanese and Korean cucumbers are excellent choices because they are crisp and sweet with slightly firmer skin.
- Shiitake mushroom seasoning: Because the cucumbers are not separately salted before marinating, shiitake mushroom seasoning adds extra savory depth and helps season them as they sit.
- Storage: The spiral cuts will gradually open wider and the cucumbers will soften in the marinade. For the best crunch, finish them within 3 days.
- Leftover marinade: Use it as a drizzle for cold noodles, rice, blanched leafy greens, or baby green salads. I don’t recommend using it for a second batch of cucumbers because the flavor will be diluted.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cucumber | Calories: 62kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 0.01mg | Sodium: 525mg | Potassium: 143mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 130IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 0.4mg
