Mediterranean Cucumber Salad Recipe

This bright and healthy cucumber salad takes 4 fresh ingredients and a light citrus dressing! You can serve it next to almost anything like lemon garlic salmon, grilled chicken, beef kabobs.  Or add it to your shawarma or gyro wraps! Be sure to check out my tips and video below.

I’ve been on a bit of a cucumber kick lately–lots of quick cucumber pickles, tzatziki sauce, cucumber sandwiches, not to mention all the Mediterranean salads that are never without cucumbers.

Four fresh ingredients make up this simple cucumber salad recipe: cucumbers, shallots, radish, and fresh dill. I toss them up in in a light dressing of Greek extra virgin olive oil and citrus.

I love how shallots, a milder onion, and peppery radish complement the cool cucumbers in this salad. And while I am all about dressing radish up with a good schmear of butter, this peppery vegetable is just as delicious alongside cucumbers as well. Chopped dill add a great fresh and bright finish (if you prefer, you can replace the dill with fresh mint, parsley, or basil)!

This cucumber salad literally takes 10 minutes (15 tops) and is the perfect last-minute side to anything you’re making.

Which kind of cucumber should I use for cucumber salad?

You’ll find different types of cucumbers at your local grocery store, so which kind is best for cucumber salad?

I personally prefer English cucumbers, which are also called hot-house cucumbers. They’re large and thin with dark green skin. English cucumbers have thinner edible skin, so you don’t have to peel them. But, more importantly, they are seedless, which makes them sweeter and far less watery.  While all parts of a cucumber are naturally full of water, it’s the seeds that contain the most liquid. So by choosing English cucumber, you’ve already lessened this problem.

But if you can’t find English cucumbers, your usual slicing cucumbers will work. You’ll want to peel the waxy skin though.

How to cut cucumbers for salad?

There are many ways to cut cucumbers for salad. Whenever I make my cucumber and tomato salad, also referred to my lazy Mediterranean salad, I typically dice them into large cubes.

But for this recipe, I like to slice up my tall cucumbers into thin rounds. And, the more efficient, and maybe safer way to do this by using a mandolin slicer (affiliate link), if you have one.

Do I have to drain or “sweat” the cucumbers?

The process of “sweating” cucumbers, similar to what we do with eggplant, simply means to salt the cucumbers and set them aside (in a large colander placed in your sink) to drain out any excess water.

This step is completely optional, and I don’t do it most of the time. But, if you don’t plan to serve the cucumber salad right away, it is important to drain the cucumbers. And once they’re done “sweating” give them a quick wipe to get rid of excess salt and proceed to make your salad.

Cucumber salad is best served fresh, though. It is not one I try to make ahead of time very often.

How to make cucumber salad?

This fresh and light salad is quick and simple. Check out my video below to see how I make it, but this is essentially how it goes:

1. Slice up the vegetables. I slice the cucumbers into thin rings and try to slice the shallots and radish similarly for best presentation.
2. Add the cucumbers, shallots, radish and a handful of fresh dill into one large bowl.
3. Make the dressing. Combine about 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, and juice of 1/2 lemon with 1 teaspoon dry oregano and Kosher salt and black pepper. Whisk well to combine.
4. Pour the dressing over your salad and mix! Serve!

Like I mentioned earlier, serve this salad right away or as soon as you can, that way everything is nice and crunchy still.

If you need to work a little bit ahead, you can slice up all the ingredients, but hold on mixing them up with the dressing until you are ready to serve.

What can I use in place of dill?

If fresh dill is not available, you can use dry dill weed. Start with 1 to 2 teaspoons of dry dill weed and add more to your liking. The general rule of thumb is 1 teaspoon of dill weed for 1 tablespoon of fresh dill. This recipe has about 4 tablespoons fresh dill, so technically you can use up to 4 tsp dried dill weed. But start small and go from there.

Don’t like dill? Replace with with fresh mint, parsley, or even basil.

Recipe Variations 

Need even more Mediterranean flavors?  Add some pitted kalamata olives or a sprinkle of creamy feta!

More sides to try

Cold Cucumber Soup

Greek Salad

Creamy Avocado Hummus

Italian roasted vegetables

Pesto Pasta with Tomatoes and Mozarella

You may also enjoy 50+ Top Mediterranean diet recipes. For all recipes, visit us here.  JOIN MY FREE E-MAIL LIST HERE.

*This post originally appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in spring of 2019 and has been recently updated with new information and media for readers’ benefit. Enjoy!