German gurkensalat uses only salt to extract cucumber water, creating its own dressing in 30 minutes without oil.
One Ingredient Salad
Get ready to fall in love with this refreshing One Ingredient Salad! Featuring crisp, vibrant greens tossed with a drizzle of zesty lemon juice and a sprinkle of sea salt, this dish is not just simple but utterly satisfying. Ideal as a light side or a quick snack, it’s a salad you’ll want to enjoy again and again!
Prep
10
min
Cook
0
min
Serves
2
people
Level
beginner
The Story
This deceptively simple cucumber salad is actually a bastard child of German Gurkensalat and Greek horiatiki that emerged in 1950s American suburbs when European immigrants discovered that white vinegar was cheaper than proper wine vinegar—what started as penny-pinching turned into a gateway drug that introduced Wonder Bread families to the radical concept that vegetables could actually taste like something other than wet cardboard.
Regional Twist
In Poland's Silesia region, they slice the cucumber paper-thin, triple the dill, and add sour cream, turning this lean machine into a proper side dish for pierogi.
📝 Ingredients
Shopping List
- 1 unit cucumber
- 1 cup (59 ml) fresh dill
- 1 unit lemon
Pantry Items
Amounts also listed in instructions below
- black pepper (to taste)
- garlic (to taste)
- salt (to taste)
- white vinegar (to taste)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Chop the cucumber into small pieces.
- 2
In a bowl, combine the chopped cucumber, white vinegar, salt, black pepper, and the juice of one lemon.
- 3
Chop the fresh dill and add it to the bowl.
- 4
Mince the garlic and mix it well into the salad.
- 5
Toss everything together and serve.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Salt the cucumber pieces and let them drain for 15-20 minutes before adding other ingredients to draw out excess moisture through osmosis, preventing a watery salad.technique15-20 minutes
- ✓Use a 3:1 ratio of lemon juice to vinegar for optimal acidity balance, as lemon provides citric acid (6-8% concentration) while vinegar adds acetic acid (5% concentration).ingredient3:1 ratio
- ✓Microplane or crush garlic with salt using the flat side of your knife to break down cell walls and create a paste, releasing 3x more allicin compounds than rough chopping.technique3x more allicin
- ✓Add fresh dill in the final 2-3 minutes before serving to preserve volatile oils like carvone and limonene that dissipate rapidly when exposed to acid.timing2-3 minutes
Share this recipe
Prep
10
min
Cook
0
min
Serves
2
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
German gurkensalat uses only salt to extract cucumber water, creating its own dressing in 30 minutes without oil.
One Ingredient Salad
Get ready to fall in love with this refreshing One Ingredient Salad! Featuring crisp, vibrant greens tossed with a drizzle of zesty lemon juice and a sprinkle of sea salt, this dish is not just simple but utterly satisfying. Ideal as a light side or a quick snack, it’s a salad you’ll want to enjoy again and again!
The Story
This deceptively simple cucumber salad is actually a bastard child of German Gurkensalat and Greek horiatiki that emerged in 1950s American suburbs when European immigrants discovered that white vinegar was cheaper than proper wine vinegar—what started as penny-pinching turned into a gateway drug that introduced Wonder Bread families to the radical concept that vegetables could actually taste like something other than wet cardboard.
Regional Twist
In Poland's Silesia region, they slice the cucumber paper-thin, triple the dill, and add sour cream, turning this lean machine into a proper side dish for pierogi.
📝 Ingredients
Shopping List
- 1 unit cucumber
- 1 cup (59 ml) fresh dill
- 1 unit lemon
Pantry Items
Amounts also listed in instructions below
- black pepper (to taste)
- garlic (to taste)
- salt (to taste)
- white vinegar (to taste)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Chop the cucumber into small pieces.
- 2
In a bowl, combine the chopped cucumber, white vinegar, salt, black pepper, and the juice of one lemon.
- 3
Chop the fresh dill and add it to the bowl.
- 4
Mince the garlic and mix it well into the salad.
- 5
Toss everything together and serve.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Salt the cucumber pieces and let them drain for 15-20 minutes before adding other ingredients to draw out excess moisture through osmosis, preventing a watery salad.technique15-20 minutes
- ✓Use a 3:1 ratio of lemon juice to vinegar for optimal acidity balance, as lemon provides citric acid (6-8% concentration) while vinegar adds acetic acid (5% concentration).ingredient3:1 ratio
- ✓Microplane or crush garlic with salt using the flat side of your knife to break down cell walls and create a paste, releasing 3x more allicin compounds than rough chopping.technique3x more allicin
- ✓Add fresh dill in the final 2-3 minutes before serving to preserve volatile oils like carvone and limonene that dissipate rapidly when exposed to acid.timing2-3 minutes