This simple dill and cucumber salad is a “welcome summer” salad – cool and refreshing with fresh dill shining through. An easy make-ahead recipe where the only time-consuming part is thinly sliced cucumber!
One of the things I am not doing often these days is going back to my cookbooks. But recently I got myself made a small bookcase that can go on the kitchen counter itself and my plan is to keep my favourites there for good and keep rotating a few cookbooks every other week or so. Last Sunday, I was leafing through some of the books and this recipe seemed to call out to me.
This simple cucumber salad recipe comes from Nigella Lawson’s book Nigella Express. Just the other day I had harvested some fresh dill from the farm. I planned to either make a tzatziki or add it to lentil or other curries but as soon as I came across this recipe of Sweet and sour cucumber salad with dill, I made a small batch right away.
Dill and Cucumber Salad
Ingredients (1cup = 240ml; 1tbsp = 15ml; 1tsp = 5ml)
- 1 cucumber medium-sized
- 1-2 tbsp fresh dill finely chopped
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp castor sugar
Instructions
- Peel and cut the cucumber into thin slices. Transfer to a bowl.
- In a small glass, combine sugar, salt and vinegar and pour over the cucumbers. Turn to mix.
- Add the chopped dill, toss again and transfer to the serving dish.
- Let the salad sit for about 10 minutes before serving. This allows the flavors to meld together beautifully.
Notes
And there you have it! A crisp, tangy, and refreshing salad that’s perfect as a side dish with your main meal. The fresh dill adds a wonderful aroma and a burst of flavour that takes this simple salad to a whole new level. I must have bookmarked this recipe years ago but finally made it only now when I have the freshest dill possible. Just waiting for our cucumber plants to fruit as well and then this would be a truly farm-to-table recipe.
I hope you enjoy making and eating this salad as much as I did. Remember, the key to a great salad is fresh, quality ingredients. So, if you can, try to use homegrown or locally sourced produce. It really does make a difference!
Growing Dill & Dill Flowers
Dill has a very short season and it is so delicate that the feathery leaves start to yellow pretty soon. We planted Dill in January, and enjoyed it through the winter months of late Jan and Feb. As the summer approaches, now it is almost (not there yet, but almost) ready to get over. But the beautiful thing that happens now, is the plant has started flowering.
The flowers on a dill plant are quite enchanting. They bloom into delicate, yellow clusters known as umbels, which fan out like tiny fireworks or a miniature version of the night sky filled with stars. Each flower within the cluster is small and has five distinct petals.
The flowers have a subtle, sweet fragrance that attracts a variety of beneficial insects, including bees and butterflies.
The sight of these vibrant, yellow clusters swaying gently in the breeze is a joy to behold, reminding one of nature’s simple yet profound beauty.
[…] and the vibrant colours around us, but also about the fresh produce that nature generously offers. Cucumbers, melons, bottle gourds, zucchini, squash – all the summer produce has plenty of water to keep […]