I’ve started quick pickling lots of things–vegetables like carrots, onions, radishes, and peppers also handle this treatment extremely well. But. Just plain cucumbers are always my favorite. These are delicious on tacos, stir fries, sandwiches, eaten by themselves while I stare into the fridge at 11:30 pm, pondering the meaning of life. You’ll need 8-9 ounces of English or baby cucumbers, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and smashed garlic. You’ll also need some rice vinegar, but how much depends on how long you’re planning on storing these (or how quickly you’re planning on eating them!) If you’re in a hurry and you’re whipping these up to eat as soon as dinner is done cooking, use 1 cup of rice vinegar. If, on the other hand, you’re prepping them in advance for dinner later in the day or you just want to snack on them, use 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup water. Using the full cup of vinegar will help get these pickle-y enough in just a few minutes, but if you come back to those same pickles in a few hours, you might question some of your life choices.
To make these, trim ends off the cucumbers. Using a vegetable peeler and steady pressure, shave each cucumber into ribbons
and place in a small mixing bowl.
Gently toss with remaining ingredients,
cover, and refrigerate for at least 20-30 minutes. These are a delicious snack or try serving them on top of Greek- or Asian-influenced rice bowls and stir-fries, in tacos, on top of spicy grilled meats, or on sandwiches.
If you’re looking for other ways to use up your summer cucumbers, these refrigerator pickles and these sweet and spicy cucumber slices are two of our most popular recipes!
