Cucumber Tomato Onion Salad
Why My Cucumber Tomato Onion Salad Recipe Is SO Good
You know that the salad is extra special when your husband who doesn’t like veggies much, licks his plate clean! My husband doesn’t like tomatoes and avocado and he ate every single bite and grab more. That is the ultimate test of something that tastes incredible.
- Quick-pickling the onion gives it real seasoning and a light tang, as well as taking out raw onion taste.
- Salting the cucumber first pulls out its excess water, so the dressing stays vibrant.
- The tomatoes go in as-is because their juice actually adds flavor to the dressing.
- The vinaigrette’s honey and Dijon help it cling to every vegetable evenly.
- Avocado adds a creamy contrast to the crispy salad bite.
- The whole salad comes together in 15-20 minutes with no cooking.
Table of Contents
Key Ingredient Notes
- English cucumber: it’s my favorite cucumber to work with besides one fresh from the garden. Its skin is thin enough that you don’t need to peel it. It also has very few seeds, so there’s no need to seed it either.
- Red onion: I quick-pickle it in warm vinegar and water. Pickling them takes out raw onion flavor and seasons the onion. A light tang matches the cucumber salad vinaigrette. I use the same warm-vinegar trick to mellow shallot in my shallot vinaigrette. If you love what it does here, you’ll want that dressing too.
- Avocado: Choose one that yields gently to pressure but isn’t mushy. Add it right before serving so it doesn’t brown or turn mushy from sitting in the dressing. I go into more detail on picking a ripe avocado in my avocado corn salad post.
- Dijon mustard: It helps the vinaigrette emulsify, so the oil and vinegar hold together in one smooth dressing.
- Honey: It balances out the acidity from the vinegar and lemon juice so the dressing doesn’t taste too sharp or too acidic.
How to Make Cucumber Tomato Onion Salad
- Quick-pickle the onion. Slice the red onion thin and add it to a bowl. Pour in the hot water and warmed vinegar, then mix in the salt and sugar. Let the onion sit for about 15 minutes while you prep everything else. You can also pickle it overnight in a lidded jar if you want to make it ahead.
PRO TIP: warming the vinegar for a few seconds in the microwave first will help keep picking liquid warm. Adding cold vinegar will cool down the hot water.
- Salt the cucumber (optional but recommended). Slice the cucumber thin and toss it with a little salt. Let it sit in a mesh strainer while the onion pickles. This draws out excess moisture so it doesn’t water down the dressing, and seasons the cucumber. Shake off the liquid and pat the cucumber dry before adding it to the salad.
- Make the vinaigrette. Whisk together the oil, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, honey, Dijon, parsley, basil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Or shake it all together in a dressing shaker. (P.S. This is easy to make ahead if needed and store in the fridge for a day or two.)
- Assemble the salad. Slice the cucumber and halve the cherry tomatoes, then dice the avocado. Add all the vegetables to a large bowl along with the drained pickled onion.
- Dress and serve. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables and toss very gently so you don’t mash the avocado or bruise the tomatoes. Serve right away, or refrigerate for up to a couple of hours before serving.
Storing The Cucumber Onion Salad
- This salad tastes best the day you make it, ideally within a couple of hours of dressing it.
- If you want to prep ahead, pickle the onion and make the vinaigrette up to a day in advance. Keep them separate in the fridge.
- Slice the cucumber and tomatoes close to serving time. Always add the avocado last so it doesn’t brown or turn mushy.
Ways to Serve This Tomato Cucumber Salad
This salad’s acidity cuts right through rich, smoky flavors, so it’s a natural match for anything off the grill.
- Chicken Souvlaki for a Mediterranean-style dinner.
- Grilled Salmon with Brown Butter Citrus Sauce for something a little more elegant.
- Pineapple Grilled Chicken Kebabs, where the tang balances the caramelized fruit.
Cucumber Tomato Onion Salad Recipe FAQs
Cucumbers hold a lot of water, and cutting or salting them pulls that water out. Salt the cucumber ahead of time and drain it before adding it to the bowl. That solves most of the problem. Tomatoes release liquid too, but their juice adds flavor, so they don’t need the same treatment.
This salad tastes best within a couple of hours of dressing it. Leave out the avocado, and it will keep in the fridge for a day or two. The vegetables do soften as they release liquid, though. Add fresh avocado right before you serve leftovers.
Red onion is the classic choice for its color and mild sweetness after pickling or soaking. Quick-pickling it in warm vinegar, salt, and sugar mellows the sharp bite and adds real flavor at the same time.
No, not if you’re using English cucumber. Its skin is thin and tender enough to eat as-is. It also has very few seeds, so there’s no need to peel or seed it.
More Salad Recipes to Try
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Cucumber Tomato Onion Salad Recipe
Ingredients
To Pickle Onion:
- 1/2 red onion
- 1/2 cup hot water
- 1/2 cup white vinegar warmed
- 1 tsp coarse kosher salt
- 1 tsp white granulated sugar
The Salad:
- 12 oz English cucumber
- 1 avocado
- 5 oz cherry tomatoes
- pickled onions from above
Simple Vinaigrette:
- 1/3 cup avocado or olive oil
- 3 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley packed
- 1 Tbsp minced fresh basil packed
- salt
- black pepper
Instructions
Quick pickle the onions:
- Slice red onion thinly and add it into a small mixing bowl.
- Pour in the hot water and warmed vinegar and mix in the salt and sugar. Mix well.
- Let them sit about 15 minutes, while you prepare everything else. Tip: you can pickle them overnight if you wish, just transfer into a glass jar with a lid.
Optional step – salt the cucumbers:
- This is a good step to draw out excess moisture from the cucumber so it doesn't dilute the dressing and to flavor the cucumber.
- Wash and slice the cucumber thinly and mix it with some salt. Transfer into a mesh strainer and let it sit while onions are pickling. Shake off and pat them dry before adding to the salad.
Make the salad:
- Wash the cucumber and tomatoes and pat dry. No need to peel English cucumbers since their skin is so thin.
- Slice cucumber thinly, cut cherry tomatoes in half, and dice the avocado meat.
- Add the veggies into the mixing bowl.
- Strain off the pickling liquid from the onion and shake off all excess pickling liquid before adding to the mixing bowl with other veggies.
- For the vinaigrette: simply combine all of the ingredients for the vinaigrette in another mixing bowl or a dressing shaker. Mix well and add to the mixing bowl with the veggies.
- Very gently mix the veggies and the vinaigrette together. Be careful not to mash the veggies and smash the avocado.
- Serve right away or store in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.
Notes
- Serving: this salad is best served right away or within a couple of hours.
- Make ahead: you can make it a day ahead of time but don’t add the avocado until ready to serve.
- Why only salt cucumbers: cucumbers are pretty flavorless on their own so their juices don’t add any flavor to the dressing but only dilute. Tomato juices will add some flavor to the dressing. Although, if you wish, you can salt them at the same time as the cucumber.
Nutrition
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Categories:
4th Of July Recipes, Backyard BBQ Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Salad Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetables,All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
