Korean Cucumber Salad Recipe

I absolutely love a Korean cucumber salad. I’m going to show you how to make my version where cucumbers get smashed and then covered in an addictive, sweet, tangy, spicy dressing. It’s pretty much the perfect summer side dish.

Why You’ll Love This

I absolutely love a Korean cucumber salad.

It’s pretty much the perfect summer side dish.

Smashing gets rid of both of these problems because they’re not going to be thin and wilt, and crannies and lots of texture where the dressing can really seep in and get really flavorful.

It’s also really satisfying to just smash down. It’s a bit therapeutic. If you have any anger or rage, of course you do. It’s 2022. This is a nice, healthy way to de-stress a little bit.

It’s so flavorful from the gochujang. It’s spicy, salty, sweet, and it was so quick to make, so it’s perfect for all of your easy summer entertaining.

Ingredients

• Cucumbers
  • Korean cucumber
  • mini Persian cucumbers
  • Japanese cucumbers
  • English cucumber
  • small Persian cucumbers (used by speaker)
• Salt
• A couple scallions
• A large shallot
• For the Dressing:
  • Two tablespoons of gochujang
  • Gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes)
  • A tablespoon of soy sauce
  • A tablespoon and a half toasted sesame oil
  • Two teaspoons sugar (organic cane sugar)
  • A tablespoon of rice vinegar
  • Some ginger
  • Three cloves garlic
• For Garnish:
  • Roasted sesame seeds
  • Reserved scallion greens

Instructions

1. Take the flat, heavy side of your knife and just smush down on them.
2. Either tear them apart into chunks with your hands like this or chop them into chunks like this.
3. Add these cukes, cucumbers, to a colander.
4. Add some salt, massage it in.
5. Pop this in the fridge for about 30 minutes to let the salt do its magic.
6. For the scallions, trim off the top inch or so that’s bruised and then slice them hard on a bias.
7. Save the dark green parts for the garnish.
8. For the shallot, just thinly slice it.
9. Start with two tablespoons of gochujang.
10. Add the gochugaru.
11. Add a tablespoon of soy sauce.
12. Add a tablespoon and a half toasted sesame oil.
13. Add two teaspoons of sugar.
14. Add a tablespoon of rice vinegar.
15. Mince three cloves of garlic into the dressing.
16. Give this a taste.
17. Squeeze them over the sink to try to get some more water out.
18. Pour our dressing into the cucumbers, the shallots, the scallops, the onions.
19. Use your hands to massage the dressing into the cucumbers for about a minute so they can absorb all of that flavor.
20. Sprinkle on some roasted sesame seeds for a nutty crunch.
21. Grab those reserved scallion greens from earlier for a fresh, oniony bite.

Cooking Tips

I wouldn’t use a standard pole cucumber because they’re not as sweet, they’re a little bit bitter, and they have lots of seeds. Basically, they are the green bell pepper of the cucumber family. They’re just not that good. They’re the worst. Don’t use them. Just kidding. If you happen to have only pole cucumbers, you can use them in this recipe, but you want to peel them first because their skin is not as delicate.

Disclaimer, smashing cucumbers is just my personal preference. It’s not the traditional method. Typically, you just slice the cucumber into rounds, but in my testing, when I sliced them thinly, they got soggy and lost their crunch, and when I sliced them thicker, they stayed crunchy, but they didn’t absorb as much flavor. So smashing gets rid of both of these problems because they’re not going to be thin and wilt, and crannies and lots of texture where the dressing can really seep in and get really flavorful.

As you might know, cucumbers are super watery. So to minimize the amount of water that seeps into our salad, I’m going to add these cukes, cucumbers, to a colander, and I’m going to add some salt, massage it in, and through the power of osmosis, the salt is going to draw out some of that excess moisture, and you’re going to get crunchier cucumbers with more flavor.

If you really love sesame oil, you can use two tablespoons, but I would taste it before you add more.

I’m not listing every precise measurement here because you can find all of that along with tips and substitutions for this recipe in the blog post at .

Serving Suggestions

Personally, I like to serve this as an appetizer or a side dish if I have company coming over.

But if it’s just Max and I on a Tuesday night, I like to round it out with some tofu and rice for a light dinner.

It’s so flavorful from the gochujang. It’s spicy, salty, sweet, and it was so quick to make, so it’s perfect for all of your easy summer entertaining.